What else must happen before one of the world’s most powerful media moguls resigns?

Rupert Murdoch does not hold a public office like Christian Wulff, the former German president, or Philipp Hildebrand, now ex-president of the Swiss National Bank. The question of whether Murdoch is legally responsible for perhaps the largest scandal to engulf the mainstream press in decades remains open.

There is, however, no doubt that he shares a political and moral responsibility for the illegal and systematic tapping of more than 6,000 telephones committed by his journalists. This is no longer a discussion about the work of a singular black sheep, one which could conceivably be found in most large newsrooms. Under Murdoch’s supervision, an undignified corporate culture surfaced, heaving journalism in a new contemptible direction. Rarely has press freedom been abused more blatantly – and thus also endangered, as such criminal energy provokes, of course, counter reactions Read the rest of this entry »