Hacking out the hacking hacks

Murdoch employees now know that the big man will close down a business and sack them all if their behaviour compromises his business interests by damaging his brand in the eyes of the customers whether readers, advertisers or business partners. That should sharpen the ethics of the hacks in other Murdoch news outlets.

So we see once again that the Market rules OK, or at least more effectively if more brutally than either the genteel Press Complaints Council or indeed Inspector Knacker himself who, amusingly, is helping his own colleagues with their enquiries.

Given that they're all* at it, as in the cold light of this morning was cited by all journos as an example of the bleedin' obvious , one wonders how long the top bananas of the other papers will be able to maintain their prim thin-lipped silence, like so many outraged maiden Wodehouse aunts. And how soon other naughty boys (it's nearly always the boys) will have to come out with their hands up. Oh, good day, Mr Baldwin. Didn't see you lurking there. Shouldn't you be getting back to the party in Mr Ed's office?

That is assuming that this isn't just all just a nine day's wonder with normal service being resumed ad soon as possible. I mean, just what exactly are the chances of a reform of the world's second oldest profession, seriously? In my lifetime.

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* except the Guardian and the Indy, obviously, which only employ canonised saints.

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