Throughout this book something has been hounding me. The
question of ‘how?’ seems to apply to every new piece of information; yes
Coulson denied everything, but how
did anyone buy that; how could
Scotland Yard take a cursory look at News
of the World and call it a “careful investigation”; how could a line of Prime Ministers appear to become Murdoch’s
personal boot lickers, quaking when he or one of his henchmen calls upon them?
(To the Prime Minister’s and Scotland Yard’s credits, this is simply the
agitated view of one who has yet to ascertain the entire story. I have hope
there is some instance of bravery that has yet to be revealed.)
I am still
searching for the answers to my deluge of how;
nevertheless, there are some things that have become clear. For instance, I
have finally shed my impression that these newspapers were competing for
readership; it was a misleading veil grasping to hold on to naïve hopes of
moral decency. It seems that, for every decent newspaper whose mission truly is
to inform society (journalism without brainwashing? Perish the thought.), there
is another who exists not to inform but to manipulate, to persuade, to make
more money.
When I first started reading about
how much News Corp was getting away with, my initial reaction was to question
how the authorities – police, politicians, etc. – could possibly turn their
heads, bow to the will of this hideous operation. Now, however, I am two-thirds
of the way through Hack Attack with a
clearer understanding of the methods of bullying employed by Murdoch’s pets,
and I can’t help but show concern for my potential level of hypocrisy. Had I
been in the same place, would I have possessed the incredible fortitude that
Nicola Phillips exhibited, or would I have cowed at the first call threatening
my career? After learning so much about those controlled by power and money,
will I bother to reevaluate what influences me, or will I take the easy route
and settle back into blissful ignorance?
For now, I am eager
to keep reading.
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