It’s only been a few days since the it was announced that NOW was finishing with its last edition today, it all coming amid the phone hacking scandal that is currently gripping the nation. My Tweet Deck has been working overtime trying to cope with the amount of tweeters and bloggers feeling sorry for the workforce and bemoaning the end of 168 years of British media history.
Which raises question, is the end of The News of the World really such a big deal? It’s not as if we’re losing a great tradition of fine writing, insight and social commentary. No, nothing of the sort, because The News of the World has always been a pile of utter shit.
It doesn’t even look very nice, its overtly aggressive design has changed little since the 70s very much like the conservatism it champions. Awful. All this talk of justice and high level reporting, really? This is the Newspaper that has a history of taking the moral high ground on practically everything, whilst at the same time dragging the conscience and morality of millions through the gutter. Should we really be mourning the passing of an institution that has a morbid fascination with with sexualising both violence and young women at the same time? Sex, children, violence and women, in no particular order and preferably at the same time. Anything to boost circulation, to sell copy, make money and titillate the nation.
The only aspect of this whole debacle I feel sorry about is that The News of the World didn’t have to face the humiliation of going bust. As for the people who worked there, they’ll have to join the dole que. Just like everyone else who loses their job, like the Miners had to, the people The News of the World demonised back in the early 80s whilst licking up to Thatcher.
Nothing ever lasts for ever.