Delve Into Hack Attack: How The Truth Caught Up With Rupert Murdoch Penned By Nick Davies Accessible As Paperbound
originally heard about this book on the ABC's "Conversations" with Richard Fidler and was very intrigued,
The book is well written but at times extremely in depth where I found myself confused and often going back over paragraphs, It's clear that Davies has put a great deal of work and hours into this book and should be congratulated,
The fact that I just couldn't quite give it four was that if felt like a textbook and at times a little droll, "So it was that a whole generation of English men and women were told that they should lose the welfare state and the trade unions and the protective laws for which their ancestors had fought and the balance of power should be tipped backwards by a century and more, because this would make them free and, in case they hesitated for a moment and questioned the idea that the wealthy elite would know and care more about their welfare than their own parents and grandparents, they were also offered a little cash.
"Vote to return to laissezfaire capitalism, and we will cut your taxes, You may lose your society but you will gain a bigger TV, " A very great theft was organised on the simple basis that its victims had nothing to lose but a decent life, " Five both for Nick Davies' excellent work on this story the most shocking revelation of which is that people who aren't on Seinfeld actually use voicemail, and for the book, which does a great job of making a long and complicated series of trials and inquiries involving several Dunbar numbers of players pacy and clear.
A bonus is the unexpectedly hardboiled language Davies occasionally uses chasing leads "from hell to breakfast", and the revelation that he worked on the story while galloping around on a horse, occasionally pausing to phone ideas to his answer machine.
The lengths a billionaire will reach to further enrich himself will clearly not be compromised by anything as inconvenient as the law, Hacking phones, recording conversations, and then publishing secrets that belonged to others were the way Murdoch's papers in the U, K. set about increasing his wealth, and who gives a crap how many innocents might be humiliated, or lives might be destroyed The inner machinations of a corrupt publishing house may sound like pretty dry subject matter but this book had me turning pages like a John Grisham best seller.
Naturally, I was shocked, outraged amp disgusted by many people who feature prominently in this story but mainly by Murdoch himself, Although bruised by the fall of one of his newspapers due to the thousands of illegal acts it had committed he survived to add to his billions, Infamously claiming to have "never been so humbled in his life" as he declared total ignorance of what his employees were doing on his behalf he still managed to reward disgraced editor, Rebekah Brooks, with nearlymillion pounds as she was shown the door for her part in the scandal.
Clearly, crime does pay. If you're bullet proof. Highly recommended. And thank you to The Guardian newspaper, headed by this author, for shining a light into these murky recesses, A searing account of a period in which tabloids ruled all and for which they fought tooth and nail to protect at the expense of its victims and it's investigators.
Wow. Just bloody wow. Read it. Nick Davies chronicles the events leading to the dismantling of News of the World, a mass circulation tabloid of media module Richard Murdoch, The paper whipped up emotions of readers through criminal scrutiny of people and with that power, dictated the political fate of British society,
The story is horrifying as corruption and fear is rife in journalism, the police and amongst politicians, While some heads do roll, they are ultimately replaced,
Read this to appreciate the vulnerability of democracy, There is much to be admired about the tenaciousness of the journalism which has managed to hold on to fundamental values, First fivestar review of.
A riveting account of how one journalist from the Guardian dared to take on News Corp, one of the world's biggest media conglomerates and expose the wrongdoings of its British tabloid "News of the World", later known as the 'phonehacking scandal'.
A brilliant work of investigative journalism that deserves to be read, Highly recommended. Fantastic book and fantastic expose on Fleet Street, It reads like a thriller although you know the ending to it, which makes it much better, Good writing and storytelling with the back and forth between what was happening during the expose and all the behind the scenes stuff leading up to the troubles, Fantastic read. Good job. Difficult, unsettling read but more from content than style, Style is straightforward chronology. The hypocrisy and cynicism of journalists and police is eye opening, End comments were sobering, door is open and unlikely to close, Extremely detailed. This would be a fascinating textbook 'auxiliary read' for journalism students, The book is about boardroom decisions affecting the common man, The extent to which the management can stoop to generate profit and power,
Its ending is also the same the main culprits walking scottfree and smaller pumpkins getting smashed,
Reading the book reminds me of the environment we all work in its the same,
Hats off to the writer Nick Davies who persisted even in such harsh conditions when most of us just brush off thinking the time scale it would take for justice to reach the end.
Interesting at times, but basically boring, The worst of journalism on display, But what else is new Won this book from goodreads, Even if like me you followed these events in the Guardian, it is great to have the whole story set out in book form, and of course with the early stages augmented by more recent material covering the same periods.
Reading the story as a continuous narrative emphasises the criminality of the Murdoch empire, but given that I'm finishing the book during the UK election campaign I'm still very conscious of the power of the Murdoch press.
How could so much and such pervasive criminality have been exposed by Nick Davies, and yet people are still willing to buy and presumably be influenced by Murdoch's newspapers There needs to be a word to describe the feeling of exhilaration that comes from taking in so much information while becoming so increasingly depressed with each new bit of information that you wind up buried in an overwhelming pit of doom.
In detail, this book covers the full depravity of the Murdoch empire thought the lens of the mids phone hacking scandal, As a part of Davies's narrative the reader is introduced to the broader scale of political implications that stem from a media climate built from the perspective of Australia's most terrifying reptile.
More importantly, this book identifies and names the source of the hydra's power: neoliberalism in the form of mass deregulation and business consolidation, Finished reading Hack Attack : How the truth caught up with Rupert Murdoch / Nick Davies, . .March
ISBN:pp.
You couldn't make this up! This tale of corruption within the Murdoch empire is beyond belief, yet it is true, That Scotland Yard and politicians, up to and including the British Prime Minister, colluded with what was going on confirms the worst you've ever thought of those two institutions,
The detective work of Nick Davies and other journalists, with the help of a few whistleblowers, several remaining anonymous, is amazing, Better than you'd find in any novel, Dogged persistence was needed to face the opposition of the might of the Murdoch empire money, lies and destruction of evidence,
Rupert Murdoch's greed for money and power is so extensive that, in my opinion, it is evil, He is, however, a sweetie compared to his son, heir and rival, James,
The end of the book is not the end of the tale, Very few were found guilty when far from all this went to court, With lies and the destruction of evidence, and some people refusing to appear as witnesses for fear of retribution, there was not enough technically admissible evidence to convict many “beyond reasonable doubt”.
That the Murdoch empire spenttimes on defence what the prosecution spent also contributed to the low conviction rate, It is quite clear though, that on any reading of what was known, that the vast majority were as guilty as sin,
The really depressing conclusion at the end of the book is the recognition that if it were not Murdoch, it would be someone else,
A note re current affairs in Australia the book describes how Murdoch treats politicians and political parties who don't enjoy his/News Corp's favour, It is how the Labor party and Labor politicians are being treated now even good things being given a constantly negative spin, and the negatives of the Liberals always being presented in the most favourable light possible.
Recommended for everyone, if for no other reason than to raise awareness of how biased the presentation of news is and how that's done,
I have no faith that the Murdoch empire has cleaned up its act, It might not be hacking but I've no doubt that they still have “ways and means” to “dig dirt” on people and to use it to bribe, threaten, or make money by publishing.
It is not a pretty picture,
Borrowed from my local library, Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are such fundamental cornerstones in the foundations of democracy that it becomes an affront and outrage to the principles by which we live and are Governed when the Fourth Estate abuses its protections and priviledged position in undermining the very Democracy that vests so much trust and empowerment in it.
Nick Davies' account of the systemic abuse by the Murdock Tabloid press of that trust as revealed by the hacking scandals is not so much a tale of biting the hand that feeds as one of visciously savaging and maiming it.
Davies' book is fundamentally about power and the casual, arrogant abuse of power it is also about truth or the lack it, For in a democratic political system, abuse of power amp corruption cannot live in the open they need to be covered by a web of deceipt , lies and secrecy, The book depressingly shatters ones' confidence not only in the Journalistic profession, but also in the Police, regulators and ultimately in the highest institutions of Government who not only Toadyed up to and schmoozed with seedy muckrakers, but actually recruited one of their ringleaders and brought a criminal into the heart of Downing street.
More shocking than the phone hacking itself are the passages detailing the influemce of Murdock and his Lieutenants on political decision making and policy arising from the Politicans' fear of bullying or "monstering" at the hands of Murdock henchmen.
Daives meticulously and painstakingly outlines his own trail in uncovering the scandal every second chapter chronociles his steps, progress and setbacks in his investigation, while the alternate chapters construct a flyonthewall narrative of what was going on pieced together from interviews with Journalists, investigators, politicans, police officers and testimony from the Leveson enquiry.
Whilst Daives is undoubtably fearless, brave, determined and crusading, he does adopt a moral high ground position which is somewhat dismissive of those he considers beneath him intellectually one suspects there is a mild case of, if not quite vindictiveness, then certainly minor score settling and belittling.
He also loses the run of himself somewhat in exaggerating the influence of the Murdock press over such monumentous events as the decision not to join the Euro, to go to war in Iraq, as well as fiscal policy under the Labour Governments.
A rant against neoliberalism is also completely out of place in the final chapter,
Despite these minor flaws, the Central achievement of this book is that, by exposing the truth about power and how absue of power corrupts the truth, it restores faith in the ability of Journalism to be a force for good, for truth and for justice to prevail in the democratic system that guarantees Journalism its freedoms.
Daives expose is evidence that honest, open journalism can act as a powerful antedote in overcoming and exposing its own darker side, A true and honest account of blackmail, intimidation, malice, invasion of privacy and toxic falsehood, We know it's a nasty, selfish and crooked world at times, but when those who practise such malice, bullying and corruption have such a strangle hold on our police and our politicians we should become concerned.
. . very concerned. Guardian journalist, Nick Davies has written a gripping account of his David and Goliath struggle with Rupert Murdoch and the Fleet Street hacks, Davies claims only a pyrrhic victory but he does for a short period of time strip the veneer from the corporate monster and expose the rot and power that threatens our democracy.
He's a brave man and this is an important account of corruption and abuse of power from a corporation that wields enormous influence, not only in Britain, but the USA and Australia and threatens the very principles on which our governments were established.
Highly recommended.
A true and honest account of blackmail, intimidation, malice, invasion of privacy and toxic falsehood, We know it's a nasty, selfish and crooked world at times, but when those who practise such malice, bullying and corruption have such a strangle hold on our police and our politicians we should become concerned.
. . very concerned. Guardian journalist, Nick Davies has written a gripping account of his David and Goliath struggle with Rupert Murdoch and the Fleet Street hacks, Davies claims only a pyrrhic victory but he does for a short period of time strip the veneer from the corporate monster and expose the rot and power that threatens our democracy.
He's a brave man and this is an important account of corruption and abuse of power from a corporation that wields enormous influence, not only in Britain, but the USA and Australia and threatens the very principles on which our governments were established.
As a previous reviewer suggest, . . make certain you read the epilogue, Highly recommended. just closed Nick Davies “Hack Attack, ” Its the account of the ten year battle to finally bring to light the role of Rupert Murdochs News International organisation in using illegal means to acquire information the way the organisation deliberately attacked individuals and their families if an individual dared to protest their behaviour how News International created a climate in which neither police, regulators nor politicians dared tackle their corruption because the consequences would be massive assaults and vilification by a news organisation that owned a vast percentage of news coverage online, on paper and on TV in the U.
K. and internationally. Its about how that organisation explicitly and knowingly lied over the course of a decade to the police, to the regulator, to the courts, to all the democratically elected representatives of the British people.
Here are a few numbers, In the court trials that took place over the last few years, the representatives of our democracy, the Crown Prosecution Service, were able to muster,million, one full time solicitor and one administrative assistant to make the case, News International spentmillion aggressively defending its representatives and deployed an army of legal representatives and support staff, Why does it matter Its an example of what happens when greater powers are invested in private corporations than in our public services, The corporation is able to devastate any attempt to make them take responsibility for the harm theyve done to the public good, The government that the people have elected to represent, as best as possible, their collective interests and to protect them from harm is no longer able to wield true power in the face of the buying power possessed by the corporations.
There is nothing defending the lives and wellbeing of the public we are all at risk,
It goes deeper, News International is an organisation that recognises that governments are the only bodies able to exercise any control over their behaviour, Therefore News International deliberately advocates the shrinking of governments, the reduction of their revenue, the weakening of their regulatory powers, the most stringent controls over their spending, News International does so in order to ensure that it possesses a competitive advantage over the only organisation able to exercise any restraint upon their corruption, It attacks tax levels, attacks public service in general, in order to reduce the expertise and skills available to the judiciary, to the police force, to the tax authorities, to all levels of our political establishment making it less likely wrongdoing will be detected, prevented or punished.
The hacking scandal was not a case of a few celebrities getting their fingers burned, Of the hackers exposed after all those years, one had hacked a minimum of,people, another had hacked a further,, Those people included the family and friends of a couple whos child was abducted, It included the family and friends of a murdered school girl the newspapers representatives went further and didnt hand over evidence that at the time they believed indicated where the girl was, they wanted to claim credit themselves and to sell more papers so didnt give it to the police.
News International went after the family and friends of two girls murdered in the town of Soham, In other words, if you, your family, your parents, your children, your friends anyone you know gets caught up in a tragedy, all their conversations and information medical records, police records, bank records, employment records, diaries, etc.
and yours too would immediately have become something News International stole and used to make profit for their company,
News International destroyedmillion emails during the course of the investigations, The leaders within the police service who led the early investigations were being wined and dined by, and were friends with, the people they were meant to investigate the police deliberately misled parliament, the public, the courts and the inquiries.
The Press Complaints Commission which was meant to ensure that newspapers respected the laws of this country saw its role as being to deflect criticism away from its richest benefactors and was too scared to speak out against them because it would mean News International the Sun, the Times, the News of the World, Sky News would send teams out to attack and slur them.
The governments, both Labour and Conservative, were too busy trying to ensure good coverage and to avoid attempts to undermine them with sleaze stories, critical coverage and attacks that they were unwilling to speak out and decided instead to give jobs to people who had broken the law, to attend their parties, call them friends, privilege their views.
News International was allowed to tell your government and my government what their policies should be, Surely thats meant to be the right of the people
At root, in amidst the sheer scale of it all, theres a simpler story of bullies and damaged people who gain satisfaction from the exercise of power over the little people' its a tale of people who grew up as we all did on the bible tales of doing unto others as you would have done unto yourselfThen abandoned that in favour of personal profit over any moral consideration.
Its an amazing book, Well written, lengthy but with so many moments of stunning revelation that youll barely be able to close your mouth at times for sheer fury, I found myself punching the air through sheer frustration as the suitwearing whitecollar criminals slipped through the net while setting themselves up as judge and jury over everyone else, Amazing. Nick Davies “Hack Attack”. An amazing book and Id like to bow respectfully
to the author for what sounds like a harrowing experience over more than a decade, .