Rupert and His Ilk

Scandal has always been a part of the public fabric. Go back in history and you will read some of the most disturbing stories about the famous and infamous. So, the collapse of The News Of The World, and, the public thrashing of those involved, is not exactly ''fresh off the press''. But, the timing is interesting.... The story, in a nutshell, is the hacking of phone numbers and emails of both public and private citizens by the British paper ''The News Of The World.'' The reason was simple: to satisfy the public insatiable appetite for juicy news, and, of course, to make major profits for the paper and its owner Rupert Murdoch. Again, this is old news. Scandal sells, not nice stories of someone saving a cat from a tree. So, many people have been taken down with the paper, and, the paper itself is now out of business.... Rupert Murdoch is indeed truly a man taken from a James Bond story. He is the epitome of evil in the media. The late, great columnist Mike Royko once wrote that '' No self respecting fish would be wrapped in a Murdoch paper''. He orders his minions to spin the news to his viewpoint, and, is clearly evident, tells his ''people'' to use any means necessary to get the story. The most disgusting story, so far, is the hacking of a missing teenager's phone numbers. The hacking deleted important information regarding her disappearance and gave her family false hope of her survival. She ended up dead.... Imagine the mindset , though, of the people doing this. Are you so morally bankrupt and without personal feeling that you would mislead a grieving family? Apparently, the answer is a firm ''yes''. Amazing, I know... The timing of these disclosures must be examined. We are talking about a type of journalism that is not new. As horrible as these stories are to us, they are fairly standard practice in that world. England has always been known for their cutthroat reporting. The other papers are just as revolting. Why ''The News Of The World'' being singled out now?... The answer, I believe is because, finally, the wrong toes were stepped on. The powerful, and not the powerless have their tits in the fire. Prime Ministers are stepping forward in outrage. Celebrities too. It is another example on how the peons like you and me can be victims, as long as the powerful fly under the radar. Business as usual... Murdoch will not be hurt in this. He testified that ''The News'' is only one percent of his income. Not too much of a worry. He still is feared and admired in some quarters. His kind are never crippled by scandal. They walk between the raindrops. The splatters hit underneath him. Some people will go to jail, some will walk. Take a guess who has the best chance to walk?...