News Of The World not happening here



Thursday 14 July 2011

News Of The World not happening here

Rupert Murdoch's News International has been making news rather than reporting it in recent times, with Associated Press journalist, Sandy Kozel, reporting that the fallout from the News Of The World saga may go beyond the UK's borders.

So will Mr Murdoch's Australian operations be caught up in the scandal? The Newsport spoke with News Limited's managing editor of the Port Douglas Mossman Gazette, Greg McLean, who said the Australian newspaper industry was very different from its UK counterpart.

"The papers over there are a different beast. I've been in papers in Australia for 15 years, and know alot of people in alot of different papers...(there is) just not that level of dastardry," Mr McLean said.

"I would think we have better ethics. I think he (Rupert Murdoch) will probably have to sell The Sun, because The Sun's been caught up in it."

Mr McLean believes the News International crisis happening in the UK won't have an affect on its Australian operations.

"It's too profitable and it's too far removed. They're separate businesses but they're also completely separate the way they go about their business."

He said he was confident the methods used by the now defunct News Of The World, and potentially other Murdoch owned newspapers, was not practiced in Australia.

"If it was you'd see stories where they've got a scoop, and you can generally tell where a scoop is coming from."

Meanwhile it has been reported on www.theage.com.au that Rupert Murdoch's News Limited has announced it will look into the practices of its Australian newspapers to ensure their methods are "clean".