News of the World

This article is about the British tabloid. For the Queen album, see News of the World (album).

The News of the World is a British tabloid newspaper published every Sunday. It is published by News Group Newspapers of News International, itself a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and can be considered to be the Sunday version of The Sun. The newspaper tends to concentrate on lighter weight news stories such as celebrity gossip. Its fondness for sex scandals has gained it the nicknames "Sex 'n' Scandal weekly", "News of the Screws" and "Screws of the World". In December, 2002 it sold 3.78 million copies per week. The current editor is Andy Coulson, who replaced Rebekah Wade in January, 2003. She in turn had replaced Phil Hall in May 2000. The newspaper often includes one or two contentious issues amongst the celebrity scandal stories it is infamous for. These more serious stories are consistently dealt with in what has often been criticised as a populist, conservative and xenophobic manner.

History

The newspaper was first published on October 1, 1843, in London by John Browne Bell. Priced at just three pence, even before the repeal of the Stamp Act (1855) or paper duty (1861), it was the cheapest newspaper of its time and was aimed directly at the newly literate working classes. It quickly established itself as a purveyor of titillation, shock and criminal news. Despite being dismissed as a "scandal sheet" it soon established itself as the most widely read Sunday paper. Initial sales were around 12,000 copies a week. This success encouraged other similar newspapers, of which the Sunday People, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror are still being published.

Its slogan was, "All human life is there".

Murdoch purchase

The newspaper passed into the hands of Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd. in 1969, snatching the paper from Robert Maxwell's Pergamon Press after an acrimonious year-long struggle. It was Murdoch's first "Fleet Street" acquisition. Maxwell had been supported by the Jackson family (25% shareholders), but Murdoch had gained the support of the Carr family (30%) and then-chairman William Carr. Maxwell accused Murdoch of employing "the laws of the jungle" to acquire the paper and said he had "made a fair and bona fide offer... which has been frustrated and defeated after three months of manoeuvring." Murdoch denied this, arguing the shareholders of the News of the World Group had "judged [his record in Australia."

The newspaper has often had to defend itself from libel charges and complaints to the Press Complaints Commission as a result of certain news-gathering techniques, such as entrapment, and contentious campaigns. Some of the best-known cases have been the "Bob and Sue" case with reporter Neville Thurlbeck, and various cases involving journalist Mahzer Mahmood. [http://lifestyles-america.com/bobandsue/

Anti-Paedophile Campaign

The paper began a controversial campaign to name and shame alleged paedophiles in 2000 following the abduction and murder of Sarah Payne. The paper also campaigns for the introduction of 'Sarah's Law' to allow public access to the Sex Offenders Register.

Libel Actions Brought Against the News of the World

In 2005 England soccer captain David Beckham and his wife Victoria brought a legal action against the paper seeking libel damages over an article that carried the headline: "Posh and Becks on the Rocks." The legal action was withdrawn in 2006 and "resolved on a confidential basis," according to the couple's spokeswoman Jo Milloy.

In April 2006 England footballer Wayne Rooney received £100,000 in damages from the publishers of The News of the World and its sister paper The Sun over articles falsely reporting he had slapped his fiancée, Coleen McLoughlin. Both had always denied the reports.

In June 2006 England footballer Ashley Cole received damages from the publishers of The News of the World over articles falsely alleging the footballer had used a mobile phone as a gay sex toy. Together with its sister paper The Sun, The News of the World paid Cole £100,000 to settle the case