News Of The World

[Lone Gunman]

Yet another in a series of potentially criminal activities by this rag.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11175076

I hate the NOTW with a passion. It is the ultimate expression of the kind of sensationalist journalism which has cheapened and undermined the integrity of the UK news media.

Some of the stories it has broken are of the most trivial, personally damaging and sadistic nature. Justified as being in the public interest but really simply a cynical method of selling copy at the expense of poor individuals who are unlucky enough to be famous enough that people will part with their cash to read obout their activities.

The scandalous entrapment and runing of people who in some cases are totally innocent, for the titilation of a section of society who to me seem as if they must have a collective IQ of about 10, should and must, in my humble opinion be stopped.

Discuss.

[danabrey]

No discussion required, case closed

[loveandpride]

He's not 'famous' he's a politician, Politics, show business for ugly people

[amarillo]

Yep I also hate the Sun/NOTW with a passion. Some of the lies they print are harmless eg. giant rats spotted in Bradford etc, but the way they print stuff about peoples personal lives and manipulate the political views of readers is a disgrace.

Not sure what the answer is, because I'm not in favour of the state controlling the press - although I guess the government at least has our interests at heart, whereas Murdock doesn't!

Ultimately I guess we the people are responsible - when we stop buying this crap they will stop producing it - same goes for X factor, big brother and anything else

[Gary Baldi]

A lot of the tabloid rags have done a similar in the past. Which is wrong.

It does beg the question of why do senior political figures, for example, leave their pin number as default? It's not that bright really and allows the tabloids to do it in the first place

[Lone Gunman]

Sept 3, 2010 16:54:41 GMT Gary Baldi said:

A lot of the tabloid rags have done a similar in the past. Which is wrong.

It does beg the question of why do senior political figures, for example, leave their pin number as default? It's not that bright really and allows the tabloids to do it in the first place

It's perhaps because it doesn't occur to them that there are w#nkers out there who want to hack their phone. The fact that public figures have to take safety precautions to avoid tabloid tw#ts infringing their privacy and prying into their lives (in ways which are often illegal anyway) is evidence of the fact that this style of journalism has gone too far.

The problem with it is it's self perpetuating and as long as morons with single digit IQs continue to lap it up, people will continue to sell it.

[Gary Baldi]

Frankly, Prescott, after a career where part of it was spent in a high profile job protecting this country, is still naive enough to think that leaving an out of the box pin code for an answer phone is fine, is frankly remarkable. What does it say about his performance in office? He must have been briefed about this sort of thing on many occasions but seems to have not bothered listening, or is arrogant enough to think it won't happen.

The papers should not have done it and it's not acceptable, but it doesn't get away from the fact that we all share responsibility for protecting our information. It's like going out for the night and leaving your front door open. Rather than moan about getting broken into, you make sure your property is secured and it doesn't happen.

[Lone Gunman]

Sept 3, 2010 21:40:39 GMT Gary Baldi said:

Frankly, Prescott, after a career where part of it was spent in a high profile job protecting this country, is still naive enough to think that leaving an out of the box pin code for an answer phone is fine, is frankly remarkable. What does it say about his performance in office? He must have been briefed about this sort of thing on many occasions but seems to have not bothered listening, or is arrogant enough to think it won't happen.

The papers should not have done it and it's not acceptable, but it doesn't get away from the fact that we all share responsibility for protecting our information. It's like going out for the night and leaving your front door open. Rather than moan about getting broken into, you make sure your property is secured and it doesn't happen.

I'm not sure if i agree wit that view in its totality. I don't think these public figures, particularly politicians are arrogant or stupid on this score. Naive maybe, but i think there is a sense that 'why would anyone be interested in my private life.'

As for the second part I agree that it is up to the individual to secure their information against criminals trying to access of pilfer it, but if there were not alleged journalists going round trying to sting public figures purely for the purpose of flogging trashy rags then such figures would not need to take the excessive precautions it seems they need to.

It would also seem that in some situations where information has been stolen it has been secured and this security has been bypassed by unscrupulous 'journalists.'

[Agadoo]

So let me get this right. You'd rather the Pakistan cricket players were NOT exposed as cheats? or that Fergie is flogging her royal ex husband for half a mill a time?

Don't know why you're defending that hippocrite Prescot who just took up a peerage after building a career sneering and deriding it

[Gary Baldi]

Just as well it was the scummy NOTW who did it and not a terrorist organisation eh?

[Lone Gunman]

Sept 3, 2010 23:35:47 GMT Agadoo said:

So let me get this right. You'd rather the Pakistan cricket players were NOT exposed as cheats? or that Fergie is flogging her royal ex husband for half a mill a time?

Don't know why you're defending that hippocrite Prescot who just took up a peerage after building a career sneering and deriding it

I'm glad the pakistan players were exposed, the manner of their exposure however is the issue. It is up to the cricket authorities and the police to stop this kind of thing not some d#ck from a rag with a tape.

'Fergie,' at one point i thought you were referring to the football manager, is f#cking irrelevant IMO. These kind of non stories are one of the things which wind me up so much. A newspaper should not be responsible for exposing public figures, the kind of sting operations they conduct, and that's what they are folks, should be left to the proper authorities not some tw#t of a 'jounalist' who is out to sell papers. Particularly when many of these 'exclusives' are simply smut and innuendo, which should really have no place on a front page anyway.

I liked the hippocrite[sic] comment moobs, is that supposed to be a joke? I'm not really defending prescot, i think his acceptance of a peerage was ill advised, but that has nothing to do with his personal privacy which, even though he is a public figure, should be respected, and not infringed by a paper to sell copy.

As to you gary baldi i'd just like to reiterate my point about a bit of respect. Fair play terrorists could have hacked into prezzas answerphone. But what national security secrets do you think they would have found? The fact that they didn't in fact try to do so before, and that it was in fact some knob jockey from the NOTW says it all I think.

[Gary Baldi]

They more than likely wouldn't have found secrets stashed on this voice mail , but nonethless it's a potential avenue for terrorists to kidnap or gain leverage to other people - they could get Blair's mobile for example just in case Tony wants Prezza round for tea and croquet one afternoon or an in into something like the Labour candidate votes.

The paper are wrong for doing it, but don't forget Lord Prezza has access to all sorts of people. He's been stupid and naive and should know better.

The problem with cricket is there are authorities whose chiefs keep changing so one persons life ban becomes another persons pardon. Certain countries are more changeable than others.

[truthteller]

Sept 3, 2010 23:35:47 GMT Agadoo said:

So let me get this right. You'd rather the Pakistan cricket players were NOT exposed as cheats? or that Fergie is flogging her royal ex husband for half a mill a time?

Don't know why you're defending that hippocrite Prescot who just took up a peerage after building a career sneering and deriding it

What he said!!

[Lone Gunman]

Sept 4, 2010 20:47:19 GMT Gary Baldi said:

They more than likely wouldn't have found secrets stashed on this voice mail , but nonethless it's a potential avenue for terrorists to kidnap or gain leverage to other people - they could get Blair's mobile for example just in case Tony wants Prezza round for tea and croquet one afternoon or an in into something like the Labour candidate votes.

The paper are wrong for doing it, but don't forget Lord Prezza has access to all sorts of people. He's been stupid and naive and should know better.

The problem with cricket is there are authorities whose chiefs keep changing so one persons life ban becomes another persons pardon. Certain countries are more changeable than others.

I agree there are national security implications of the personal information of public figures being easily accessable and this does perhaps need to be addressed. Even more so in a world where it is easier than ever to get your hands on personal information.

I would say though, that The News Of The World is not a terrorist organisation, at least not officially, and thus they are accessing the (albeit unsecure) information of these figures not because they want to assassinate them or blow up parliament, but because they want to get hold of some tittle tattle kiss-and-tell type rubbish which they can print as news to flog some more of their papers.

The prescott thing isn't really the core of my dislike of the paper though. I was merley using it as an example of another of their activities.

[Agadoo]

Sept 4, 2010 18:47:31 GMT Lone Gunman said:

Sept 3, 2010 23:35:47 GMT Agadoo said:

So let me get this right. You'd rather the Pakistan cricket players were NOT exposed as cheats? or that Fergie is flogging her royal ex husband for half a mill a time?

Don't know why you're defending that hippocrite Prescot who just took up a peerage after building a career sneering and deriding it

I'm glad the pakistan players were exposed, the manner of their exposure however is the issue. It is up to the cricket authorities and the police to stop this kind of thing not some d#ck from a rag with a tape.

'Fergie,' at one point i thought you were referring to the football manager, is f#cking irrelevant IMO. These kind of non stories are one of the things which wind me up so much. A newspaper should not be responsible for exposing public figures, the kind of sting operations they conduct, and that's what they are folks, should be left to the proper authorities not some tw#t of a 'jounalist' who is out to sell papers. Particularly when many of these 'exclusives' are simply smut and innuendo, which should really have no place on a front page anyway.

I liked the hippocrite[sic] comment moobs, is that supposed to be a joke? I'm not really defending prescot, i think his acceptance of a peerage was ill advised, but that has nothing to do with his personal privacy which, even though he is a public figure, should be respected, and not infringed by a paper to sell copy.

As to you gary baldi i'd just like to reiterate my point about a bit of respect. Fair play terrorists could have hacked into prezzas answerphone. But what national security secrets do you think they would have found? The fact that they didn't in fact try to do so before, and that it was in fact some knob jockey from the NOTW says it all I think.

But they would have probably never have been exposed were it not for investigative journalism and that can only be a good thing. I'd like to think that anyone famous or in the sporting world thinking of venturing into the murky world of corruption can get stung and maybe they will think better of it as a result. that if they were ever exposed for their murky dealings they would be ruined overnight - what bigger deterent is there than that? Again, only a good thing if you ask me....

[Lone Gunman]

Sept 4, 2010 22:01:54 GMT Agadoo said:

Sept 4, 2010 18:47:31 GMT Lone Gunman said:

I'm glad the pakistan players were exposed, the manner of their exposure however is the issue. It is up to the cricket authorities and the police to stop this kind of thing not some d#ck from a rag with a tape.

'Fergie,' at one point i thought you were referring to the football manager, is f#cking irrelevant IMO. These kind of non stories are one of the things which wind me up so much. A newspaper should not be responsible for exposing public figures, the kind of sting operations they conduct, and that's what they are folks, should be left to the proper authorities not some tw#t of a 'jounalist' who is out to sell papers. Particularly when many of these 'exclusives' are simply smut and innuendo, which should really have no place on a front page anyway.

I liked the hippocrite[sic] comment moobs, is that supposed to be a joke? I'm not really defending prescot, i think his acceptance of a peerage was ill advised, but that has nothing to do with his personal privacy which, even though he is a public figure, should be respected, and not infringed by a paper to sell copy.

As to you gary baldi i'd just like to reiterate my point about a bit of respect. Fair play terrorists could have hacked into prezzas answerphone. But what national security secrets do you think they would have found? The fact that they didn't in fact try to do so before, and that it was in fact some knob jockey from the NOTW says it all I think.

But they would have probably never have been exposed were it not for investigative journalism and that can only be a good thing. I'd like to think that anyone famous or in the sporting world thinking of venturing into the murky world of corruption can get stung and maybe they will think better of it as a result. that if they were ever exposed for their murky dealings they would be ruined overnight - what bigger deterent is there than that? Again, only a good thing if you ask me....

C'mon moobs its not investigative journalism is it. Its anything but. It ofen involves stings, entrapment, honey traps, kiss and tells, it has more in common with f#cking james bond than journalism.

Anyway Its not up to the newspapers to expose these activities there are proper authorities to do this. I have no problem with the corrupt players being stung but it should have been the police or the ECB or the ICC who did it. And don't try and say the NOTW does all this for the public good and to bring crims to justice. They do it so mugs will buy their junk, end of.