Who ISN'T affected?

I return briefly to muse about the NotW scandal in the UK.

I would first suggest that this scandal is slightly ironic: most informed commentary thought that financial bankruptcy rather than moral bankruptcy was the greater threat to the newspaper industry. And it is moral bankruptcy of an industry rather than a paper. Let's list them:

• The Independent. Major commentator Johann Hari caught plagiarising. Suspicions of using sockpuppets, vandalisim of Wikipedia, possible paedophile fiction link.
• The Guardian. Orchestrating a witch-hunt on tax avoidance while owned by a tax-avoidance offshore trust.
• Times. Caught using social engineering techniques to get access to bank details of Gordon Brown and Michael Ashcroft.
• NotW. How long have you got?

1. Tampering with evidence in a murder enquiry.
2. Harassing the bereaved from 9/11 and 7/7.
3. Bribing the police
4. Extremely close association with politicians multiple prime ministers.
   

Particularly the NotW scandal is eye-opening. Brooks was a member of the inner circle of both Blair and Cameron. The police are implicated, with payments known to made. While no names from the police have emerged, men with "commisioner" in their title have wound up on the News International payroll. As time goes on, the police element may assume greater prominence.

In particular, a certain John Yates was responsible for both the earlier investigation into the NotW, and into allegations of corruption (specifically, selling of lordships) under Tony Blair. He may well be the canary in the coalmine. If Yates survives, one might well give up on the institutions of civil society in the UK.