Stephen Ilagan's Blog

Perhaps one of the biggest news stories to hit the headlines this past year has been the News Corp. phone hacking scandal. If you dont already know about the metaphorical earthquake that has seemingly struck Rupert Murdoch’s empire, a quick guide can be found here.

As I alluded to in my previous (and much more informal) post, the fallout of the scandal has been humongous. The ethics involved in the case are quite obvious, as breaking the law to get the edge on competition is undoubtedly the most extreme form of unethical behaviour. With News Corp being second only to the BBC as a multinational media corporate giant, the question to ask is how much more did News Corp get away with? Considering the fact that they own some of the world’s biggest newspapers (including News of the World, the tabloid which the scandal is focused on and at the time happened to be the number newspaper in Britain), the incentive undeniably exists to get every edge over competitors, especially in the fast paced world of news.

Did other cases of questionable ethics help News Corp become one of the most powerful companies in the world? And if they did, how does one punish News Corp? Despite the fact that CEO James Murdoch may very well lose his job, News Corp will continue to be a gigantic force in the media world. They are just that big. Its like stabbing an elephant with a toothpick. News Corp the company will continue to thrive. How can that be fair to smaller companies? Or dare I ask, is that just the brutal nature of business in the “real world”?

Link to News Corp’s website: http://www.newscorp.com/

I recommend you check out the press releases.