The shameful demise of a 165-year-old newspaper

News International has announced that this Sunday, July 10, 2011, will be the last issue of The News of the World.

The largest-selling daily in Britain had confessed to and apologised for hacking the message banks of several celebrities, sports identities and politicians two months ago.

There was widespread condemnation of actions taken by the newspaper.

But, this week, it was alleged that the paper had hacked the phone of a murdered British teenager and deleted some messages in order to retrieve others -- in doing so gave the girl's tortured parents some cause for hope that she was still alive and hindering police investigations.

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The newspaper's former editor Andy Coulson has been arrested by British police.

It is alleged that a handful of police officers were illegally paid 100,000 pounds by the tabloid during Coulson's editorship

The sensational tabloid has been at the venture of controversy for some years, but public unease turned into anger with revelations that it commissioned a private investigator to hack messages left in mobiles of celebrities, victims of crime, and kin of soldiers killed in Iraq

The tabloid's continuation had become untenable after several major advertisers suspended their insertions following the latest revelations.

The constant spew of allegations about The News of the World's use of phone hacking reached fever pitch this week, forcing James Murdoch, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, News Corporation and Chairman, News International, to announce newspaper's closure.

Making the announcement to staff, Murdoch said: "I have important things to say about the News of the World and the steps we are taking to address the very serious problems that have occurred."

"It is only right that you as colleagues at News International are first to hear what I have to say and that you hear it directly from me. So thank you very much for coming here and listening. You do not need to be told that The News of the World is 168 years old."

"That it is read by more people than any other English language newspaper. That it has enjoyed support from Britain's largest advertisers. And that it has a proud history of fighting crime, exposing wrong-doing and regularly setting the news agenda for the nation."

"When I tell people why I am proud to be part of News Corporation, I say that our commitment to journalism and a free press is one of the things that sets us apart. Your work is a credit to this. The good things The News of the World does, however, have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong."

"Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our Company. The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself. In 2006, the police focussed their investigations on two men. Both went to jail."