The End for News of the World

Faced with a shameful scandal (even by the standards of British tabloids), and an irreparably damaged brand, Rupert Murdoch shuts down the newspaper that made him what he was, and provided sensational entertainment for millions.

Three dodgy journalists have been arrested already, and another will be arrested today (he was so dodgy he was David Cameron's director of communications until January).

After being questioned by detectives from Operation Weeting – a process that could take several hours – the former rising star of News International is likely to be released on bail conditions that include appearing at court at a later date along with his three former colleagues who have already been arrested: Ian Edmondson, Neville Thurlbeck and James Weatherup.

The arrest will be embarrassing for Cameron, who consistently defended his decision to hire the controversial former journalist amid mounting evidence of his involvement in the hacking scandal.

And the person who brought the whole thing down was that indefatigable defender of responsible journalism, Hugh Grant. Or was it Sienna Miller? Or maybe Kate Middleton... Wait, what?

The Guardian helpfully annotates the suicide note here. The last issue will be Sunday.

Here in London, the press community has reacted with respectful...ha ha, just kidding. They are giving News of the World the same loving sendoff the senate gave Julius Caesar. Choice headlines:

• "The paper that died of shame" - Daily Mail
• "Goodbye Cruel World" - Daily Telegraph
• "News Int denials 'beggar belief'" - Financial Times
• "World's end" - The Sun (a Murdoch paper)
• "Newspaper 'sacrificed to save one woman'" - The Independent (link)

And, the unkindest cut of all:

• "Hacked to Death" - The Times (also owned by Murdoch)

Give Murdoch credit for finding counterplay. The town is reeling. Employees are enraged that 200 jobs will be lost, with most of the affected (as the closure announcement helpfully points out) uninvolved in the scandal. Critics are upset that the target of their wrath...will no longer exist... "Come back, I want to hate you some more!"

But the dominant mood is sheer schadenfreude. A newspaper that never played by the rules was finally caught out. They went too far.

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answered it.