UKC

A News Corporation company recruited a pay-TV "pirate" to post hacked details of a rival's secret codes online, BBC Panorama has found.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17494723

Thus ITV Digital went bust in 2003, as they were unable to keep up with the "pirates" publishing secret codes that allowed people to access Pay TV for nothing.

Panorama, last night:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dlvbm


There is still an Ofcom inquiry ongoing into whether the Murdoch's are suitable people to be running BSkyB, of course. This is even more evidence to suggest that they should not be.

In reply to Dominion: Fortunately politicians these days seem a little braver with regards to taking on Murdoch

In reply to woolsack: with one or two (MP) exceptions, I don't think that's the case. It's more of a herd mentality (ish). Once upon a time, every politician had to be seen with Murdoch - be it column in one of his papers, a TV piece on sky, private briefings etc. Which was why there was so little appetite for phone hacking etc. The Millie Dowler hack (and the public reaction to it) changed all that. Now it's important to NOT be seen by or with Murdoch.

It's the same instinct to conformity, just a different circumstance. The world turns upside down, but they have turned upside down along with it

In reply to woolsack:

As long as the politicians don't have any skeletons in cupboards as Cruddas and Cameron have found out.
;0)

In reply to woolsack:


Well, although it wasn't a Murdoch paper who did it, Vince Cable got stung for daring to suggest that Murdoch wouldn't get it all his own way with regard to taking back the majority share in BSkyB.

Although it took the public outrage about NoTW "hacking" Mill Dowler's voicemails to cause people to actually pay enough attention to the abuses that newspapers inflict on people so that they can sell advertising* so that the ownsership of BSkyB was deferred whilst News Corp are under investigation.

* Advertising. It was public pressure on Advertisers that caused NoTW to shut down. Not that the paper was ashamed about stopping so low as to intercept Milly Dowler's voice mails, and possibly interfere with a police investigation.

Apparently The Sun on Sunday had a lot of adverts in it's first issue because advertisers were given a massive discount (ie 80% off) and adverts have dropped in subsequent issues, so a bit more pressure and The Sun on Sunday may fold because it loses too much money.



As for politicians being brave, the only one I can really recall pretty much daring the newspapers to have a go is Louise Mensch / Bagshawe who had a go at Rupert And James as part of her job in the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, and had a go at Piers Morgan - and 3 days later got an email that was going to "out" her for taking a controlled substance with Nigel Kennedy at Ronnie Scott's club in Birmingham in the 1990s while working as a press officer for the EMI record company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Bagshawe#Political_career

She released the email, and told them it was probably true, and that being intimidated wasn't going to stop her from asking further questions about phone hacking.



Are there any other MPs who've told the Press to f*ck off like that?

And does anyone know if she's she been interviewed at the Leveson Inquiry, yet?

In reply to Dominion: Some people shouldn't be allowed to keep animals and some people shouldn't be allowed to control media empires. Murdoch doesn't disappoint on the scummy behaviour scale does he?