Thank you and good bye, says scandal-hit News of the World

Britain’s best-selling weekly newspaper, the News of the World, published its last edition on Sunday after it was axed following a phone-hacking scandal. In a full-page editorial, the popular tabloid apologised to readers over the controversy saying the paper had lost its way. 

Reuters/Paul Hackett

But the row over allegations that reporters hacked into the telephones of a murdered girl and the families of dead soldiers is far from over. Owner Rupert Murdoch is due to arrive in London on Sunday to take personal charge of the crisis. There are also reports that police intend to question his top British executive and former News of the World editor, Rebekah Brooks.

Late Saturday, current editor Colin Myer led staff out of its offices in Wapping, east London after a day preparing the final edition.

“After 168 years, we finally say a sad but very proud farewell to our 7.5 million loyal readers,” he said holding up a copy of the final front page which showed a montage of some of the paper’s best-known scoops.

More than 200 staff now face an uncertain future after Murdoch’s shock decision on Thursday to close the paper.

The scandal threatened to endanger other parts of the Australian’s media empire. The British government is to decide on News Corp’s controversial bid to take full control of satellite broadcaster BSky B. Opposition Labour leader, Ed Milliband, is reportedly trying to hold a vote in parliament this week to suspend the deal.

Meanwhile, the police failure to act earlier over the scandal has come under close scrutiny. Scotland Yard assistant commissioner John Yates, who decided two years ago not to reopen the hacking probe due to lack of evidence, expressed regret over the incident and admitted it had tainted the reputation of London’s Metropolitan Police.

“It has been a very damaging episode for us and we have got to work hard to rebuild the trust in the Met,” he said.