Death of a Newspaper: News of the World closed down

The News of the World newspaper has been closed down after 168 years of publishing. It was launched in 1843. Early in the century before last.

The reason? Revelations that journalists on the News of the World and private investigators hired by them had hacked mobile phones of rape/murder victims, their families, the families of terrorist outrages and the families of dead war heroes.

Advertising by top UK firms had started to be pulled and the Royal British Legion had withdrawn the special status enjoyed by the News of the Word as its fund raising partner.

The decision was taken at the very top of the News International corporation.

Apparently journalists and staff on the paper were upset, dismayed and angry at the decision. Now, perhaps, they will be able to imagine how upset, dismayed and angry their victims were...

There are some things writers should not do. The problems at the News of the World and other tabloid papers who used the same techniques (Daily Mirror to name but one) will be a good indicator as to what these are.