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Little has been seen in public of the News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch since his starring role as aging newspaper baron in front of MPs on the culture committee two years ago, "the most humble day" of his life. But imminent corporate collapse can be a humbling experience. His reappearance in the public domain this week, courtesy of a leaked recording of a meeting with Sun journalists back in March, reveals a man to whom the character of vigorous tycoon with a £20bn media empire has been miraculously restored – a tycoon, to boot, who is determined to hold off so far as he can the very forces of law and order he had previously been so humbly anxious to help. The slow progress towards effective press regulation as recommended by the Leveson report in the months between can only have added to his confidence.Little has been seen in public of the News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch since his starring role as aging newspaper baron in front of MPs on the culture committee two years ago, "the most humble day" of his life. But imminent corporate collapse can be a humbling experience. His reappearance in the public domain this week, courtesy of a leaked recording of a meeting with Sun journalists back in March, reveals a man to whom the character of vigorous tycoon with a £20bn media empire has been miraculously restored – a tycoon, to boot, who is determined to hold off so far as he can the very forces of law and order he had previously been so humbly anxious to help. The slow progress towards effective press regulation as recommended by the Leveson report in the months between can only have added to his confidence.
This is the authentic voice of Rupert Murdoch, dismissive of attempts to bring to justice those who had hacked phones and bribed police and unapologetic about wrongdoing on his papers. Operation Elveden was an inquiry into "next to nothing", being pursued with disproportionate effort by "incompetent" and untrustworthy police. Staff, more than 20 of whom have been arrested, spoke bitterly about the trauma, the damage to families and the sense of being scapegoats. Mr Murdoch reassured them that they would get their "revenge". He even made a half promise to look after staff convicted in any future trials. This questionable suggestion failed to pacify journalists who complained that evidence they had given to company lawyers was repeated back to them by arresting officers; they were even shown photocopies of their contact books, taken without their knowledge. Plainly, no mere journalistic principle was to stand in the way of management efforts to save the company.This is the authentic voice of Rupert Murdoch, dismissive of attempts to bring to justice those who had hacked phones and bribed police and unapologetic about wrongdoing on his papers. Operation Elveden was an inquiry into "next to nothing", being pursued with disproportionate effort by "incompetent" and untrustworthy police. Staff, more than 20 of whom have been arrested, spoke bitterly about the trauma, the damage to families and the sense of being scapegoats. Mr Murdoch reassured them that they would get their "revenge". He even made a half promise to look after staff convicted in any future trials. This questionable suggestion failed to pacify journalists who complained that evidence they had given to company lawyers was repeated back to them by arresting officers; they were even shown photocopies of their contact books, taken without their knowledge. Plainly, no mere journalistic principle was to stand in the way of management efforts to save the company.
There is zero evidence here of the kind of culture change needed to restore public confidence in the press. MPs rightly want to bring Mr Murdoch back to find out whatever happened to humility. Meanwhile, the stalemate over regulation is no closer to resolution. The parliament-approved proposal, rejected by most newspapers but backed by the Hacked Off group and, he confirmed again on Wednesday, the prime minister, is on hold until the autumn over fears of a legal challenge. Next week the privy council considers – and is expected to reject – the royal charter proposal put forward by a group of newspapers, not including the Guardian. Meanwhile, Lord Justice Leveson's appearance before the culture committee, which campaigners hoped might reignite a sense of urgency, is delayed. But the Murdoch tapes are one more reminder of the pressing need to restart negotiations and agree a regulatory system that works.There is zero evidence here of the kind of culture change needed to restore public confidence in the press. MPs rightly want to bring Mr Murdoch back to find out whatever happened to humility. Meanwhile, the stalemate over regulation is no closer to resolution. The parliament-approved proposal, rejected by most newspapers but backed by the Hacked Off group and, he confirmed again on Wednesday, the prime minister, is on hold until the autumn over fears of a legal challenge. Next week the privy council considers – and is expected to reject – the royal charter proposal put forward by a group of newspapers, not including the Guardian. Meanwhile, Lord Justice Leveson's appearance before the culture committee, which campaigners hoped might reignite a sense of urgency, is delayed. But the Murdoch tapes are one more reminder of the pressing need to restart negotiations and agree a regulatory system that works.
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