Rebekah Brooks resignation: the reaction
The resignation of Rebekah Brooks from her position as CEO of News International has prompted a wave of reaction. Here are some of the more notable ones:
12:14PM BST 15 Jul 2011
Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said:
It is right that Rebekah Brooks has resigned. No one should exercise power without responsibility."He added: "It is right that Rebekah Brooks has finally taken responsibility for the terrible events that happened on her watch, like the hacking of Milly Dowler's phone.
"Rupert Murdoch says that News Corp has handled these allegations 'extremely well'. He still hasn't apologised to the innocent victims ofhacking. He clearly still doesn't get it.
"When he comes to House of Commons next week, people will expect him to start taking some responsibility and apologise for the illegal actions which happened in his organisation."
A spokesman for David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said it was "the right decision".
Chris Blackhurst, editor of the Independent, said:
Every day I've come to work and thought "No more hacking. We won't have it on the front page" but I've been proved wrong."It's clear that the Murdoch organisation have attempted to put a lid on it: they closed a paper, that didn't stop it; they got rid of a chief executive, that didn't stop it; now it's the committee and that's going to be enormous.
"None of us know what's in those files. We don't know how big it is. Or how bad it is."
Lord Prescott, the former deputy prime minister, said:
Just heard Rebekah Brooks' has resigned. Thank God! It's another step closer to getting a more responsible press in this country."David Yelland, the former editor of the Sun who was replaced by Rebekah Brooks, said on Twitter:
I wish Rebekah no ill."To which Toby Harnden, the US editor of the Daily Telegraph,wryly observed:
Praise so faint it has no pulse."Mark Lewis, the lawyer to Milly Dowler's family, said:
Every dog has its day and I suppose Rebekah Brooks is that dog."It's a bit King Canute-like that things are still being denied and opposed [by News International]. They should try telling the truth."
I just ordered a coffee and a hot choccy for Max at El Quim in La Boqueria, Barcelona and suddenly my phone exploded. I wish Rebekah no ill.less than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® 
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Peter Preston, the former editor of the Guardian, said:
Can the biggest news organisation in Britain and one of the biggest in the rest of the world now get a grip of the news that it is making and how to control it? If it can’t - and by golly it isn’t - then you are scratching your head about the future."Tom Watson MP, who has been vociferous in his criticism of the alleged hacking, said:
We're only about half-way through this. We're going to be with it for weeks and months to come."John Whittingdale MP, the chairman of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said:
I think this is the right decision. I think many people expected it to come rather sooner, but I think her position was extremely difficult."I think the most shocking revelation of all, perhaps, was the hacking of Milly Dowler's phone, which took place when she was the editor of the paper and there has obviously been a stream of revelations since then.
"This was inevitable and it is the right thing."
Chris Bryant MP, who has been a leading critic over the phone hacking scandal, said:
I think it is right that she goes. I think she should have gone a very long time ago. “Frankly, she should have gone when she said she had paid police officers for information back in 2003.”Martin Moore, the founder of Hacked Off, a campaign group which backed a public inquiry into phone intercepts, said:
Hopefully we’ll now find out from her and her colleagues what actually happened."Every day brings a new twist to the story. It’s not going to slow down for a while yet but I’m glad that she’s apologised.”
Rebekah Brooks to News International staff:
I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the people we have hurt and I want to reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place."I have believed that the right and responsible action has been to lead us through the heat of the crisis. However my desire to remain on the bridge has made me a focal point of the debate.
"This is now detracting attention from all our honest endeavours to fix the problems of the past.
"Therefore I have given Rupert and James Murdoch my resignation.”
James Murdoch on the appointment of Tom Mockridge to replace Brooks:
Tom is an outstanding executive with unrivalled experience across our journalism and television businesses."He has proven himself to be a very effective operator in his time at Sky Italia.
"Under his leadership, Sky has grown to become one of the world's most successful pay TV businesses, reaching close to 5 million homes and launching channels like TG24 which has set a new standard for independent journalism in Italy.
"I believe that Tom is the best person to move the company forward to a brighter future.”
David Mellor, the former heritage secretary, on Mr Mockridge:
He's a nice chap actually. I had dinner with him in Rome. He's a friend of a friend."
9 comments:
Just in time for her appearance before the Select Committee on Tuesday, now she can forget any loyalty to a man who has undoubtedly been very generous to such a talentless lass and concentrate on trying to save herself.
How strange, Jo Morais blog appears to have closed its doors, no new post for three weeks and no new comments for days.
The webmaster has also closed comments on the McCanns Facebook account, I wonder if there is some connection. Did the police authoritatively tell Kate, Gerry and Goncalo to just shut up?
Oh I gather someone posted up some pretty vital evidence in the case, the Gaspar statements, that explains the McCanns Facebook page closing its doors then!
As if we needed to be told just how relevant and important this statement actually is, in spite some pretty sad attempts to discredit a reputable doctor, fully trained on child abuse, and with no reason whatsoever to lie about her former friends.
The only thing I cannot work out is why was it disclosed along with the PJ files, was that by accident or by design on the part of British Police?
Was it intended to encourage more brave witnesses to come forward or was it one of those items that British Police disclosed to the Portuuguese and objected to its production but it got produced anyway.
Just imagine Gerry on the phone to Dr Katerina Gaspar, no cancel that, I think even he would think heck I better shut up, did Kate say how mean and spiteful of you?
I wonder just how much the News of the World really know about McScam and Co?
It is really hard to believe they did not do a hack job on them and their friends!
It remains the case that police get a good idea about what is really bothering a criminal by the areas he does not wish to discuss. I often noticed that when reading police notes of interview.
Kate used up nearly four hundred pages I gather, but not a word, not a sniff, and I thought you wanted to defend yourself Kate. Some things are just indefensible and best left unsaid I suppose.
I was watching a video of the McCanns outside the hearing against Goncalo with Isabel Duarte giving Gerry the beady eyed look she seems to specialise in for people who gravely concern her.
I listened over and over, it sound like the delightful little Sandra Filgeiras (sorry I never learned to spell it). She is saying something about did the PJ have photos in that file of Madeleine. Gerry just turns his head away from her, talks over her and answers another reporters questions.
Funny how the McCanns just totally blank the real issues. I think photographs will loom very large indeed in the case against them and others.
Why has David Cameron been having so many meetings with the media?
He has given full details of all those meetings. That suggests to me there is a very good reason for them and it will not get him into trouble at all. Could he have been discussing appropriate press coverage and handling of the McCanns? I think so.
play along with them...
I also believe Rebekah when she says there is much worse to be revealed, maybe she has a chance to redeem herself by netting some really bad people, who knows? Maybe she is best mates with them!
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