30-09-2013, 01:23 PM
The "Dirty Digger" plays the economic blackmail card "to preserve his empire" but in reality it's to preserve his ego.
Will Cameron roll or stand firm? Cameron also has the ability to disinvest Murdoch from his UK "jewel in the crown" Sky TV, if Murdoch pulls the trigger. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
But the Telegraph is, as often is the case, talking complete balls. If Murdoch closes News UK, it doesn't mean that those involved in hacking and worse, can't be pursued by the long arm of the law -- unless that long arm is shortened considerably. The UK can, if they wish, request Murdoch to be arrested and deported to the UK to stand trial - the treaty between the UK and the US allows for criminal charges to be brought against American citizens who had engaged in illegal activity on UK soil.
But, it's wishful thinking that this might happen. As can be seen from the article, the ground is being carefully laid to misinform the public that the Digger is legally untouchable.
Daily Telegraph
Will Cameron roll or stand firm? Cameron also has the ability to disinvest Murdoch from his UK "jewel in the crown" Sky TV, if Murdoch pulls the trigger. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
But the Telegraph is, as often is the case, talking complete balls. If Murdoch closes News UK, it doesn't mean that those involved in hacking and worse, can't be pursued by the long arm of the law -- unless that long arm is shortened considerably. The UK can, if they wish, request Murdoch to be arrested and deported to the UK to stand trial - the treaty between the UK and the US allows for criminal charges to be brought against American citizens who had engaged in illegal activity on UK soil.
But, it's wishful thinking that this might happen. As can be seen from the article, the ground is being carefully laid to misinform the public that the Digger is legally untouchable.
Quote:Rupert Murdoch 'could close UK newspapers' if hacking charges brought
Rupert Murdoch could end up taking the "nuclear option" by getting rid of his UK newspaper business, if charges were brought against the company over complicity in alleged phone hacking and bribery of public officials, it has been claimed.
Rupert Murdoch is known to be deeply attached to his British titles Photo: AFP
6:00AM BST 21 Aug 2013
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The media chief is known to be deeply attached to his British titles, which include The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun. However, lawyers claim he could end up shutting down the entire British newspaper operation to help preserve the rest of his empire, in the event that the police press charges against the company.
The Telegraph revealed last week that the Metropolitan Police is now treating News UK, the newspaper corporation, as a corporate suspect in its investigations of alleged hacking and bribery at the News of the World.
The probe raises the possibility that corporate charges could be lodged against News UK, which could criminalise the News UK board and have severe knock-on effects on the rest of Mr Murdoch's business interests, especially in the US.
However, the potential case would "go away" altogether if the company News UK ceased to exist, in the same way as the CPS cannot press charges against a person who has died.
Anil Rajani, a white collar crime specialist at IBB Law, said: "News UK can't be charged as a corporate entity if it doesn't exist as a corporation. And if a company is in the process of being wound up, it also counts as a factor against prosecution."
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It has been reported that News Corp said in an internal report that criminal charges against News UK would "kill the company and put 46,000 jobs in jeopardy".
Shutting or selling the UK newspapers would be a drastic move, but it would not be the first time News Corp has taken bold steps to prevent the phone-hacking scandal from contaminating the rest of the company. In 2011 it shut down the News of the World newspaper once the biggest-selling weekly title in Britain and earlier this summer it split the News Corp business into two, cleaving its damaged newspaper and publishing business from its much more profitable film and television operations.
News Corp executives would have to weigh the potential benefits of keeping the prestigious UK newspapers going against the potential risks of News UK losing a criminal lawsuit.
Separating the companies has isolated the problem to some degree, but the publishing business and the film and entertainment business now News Corp and 21st Century Fox respectively still have a number of directors in common.
Analysts fear that a guilty verdict could prompt Ofcom to reassess whether BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster 39pc owned by Mr Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, is "fit and proper" to hold a broadcasting licence.
Daily Telegraph
The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.
Carl Jung - Aion (1951). CW 9, Part II: P.14