The recent revelations of the outrageous escapades of the News Corp. has laid bare the hypocritical, legal and moral problems of the Western media.
The scandal involves more than 4,000 victims. The News of the World tabloid hacked into the phones of schoolgirl Milly Dowler, relatives of deceased British soldiers, and victims of the 7/7 London bombings.

All this has turned the stomachs of the people around the world, particularly the British people.

The News of the World, which was previously cited as the “best-selling English-language newspaper,” now becomes the one that infringes upon human rights, invades privacy and violates an image it had itself helped to create.

“Although editors and journalists may be uncomfortable admitting it, one of the most important social roles of news media today is in circulating powerful stories and images of the sacred,” Gordon Lynch with the Guardian said.

“The moral credibility of news media lies partly in their ability to work with the grain of sacred meanings shared with their audiences. The degree to which the News of the World profaned what many people take to be sacred is unprecedented in postwar media history."

Why did the News of the World violate the scared image it was committed to create?

This is because the ultimate goal of the company, a perfect example of most Western media, is to maximize its profits at any cost. Many believe that the company will do everything of what is required to expand its circulations or, in another word, to make more money.

The outcry at the News of the World's violations of individual privacy has been understandably huge and predictably universal. In any civilized society and going by any norms of social behaviour, systematic invasions of privacy simply will surely not be tolerated, rather should be condenmed.

Amidst the growing hysteria, it’s worth looking at the bullying and intimidation the News International has demonstrated.

Mark Lewis, who represents some 70 claimants, including the family of Milly Dowler, has suffered particularly since he first took on the Murdoch empire.

"He believes the phone hacking lost him a partnership in the Manchester law firm of George Davies and deprived him of income while he fought the Murdochs. He spoke of being threatened with an injunction by lawyers working for News International, defamed by the Press Complaints Commission and has been generally made to feel a legal outcast," according to the Observer's report.

The News of the World, in fact, is an organization that will take revenge against anyone or any organization that are against it, more than one important members of the Western media agreed. Does this conform to concepts of “Freedom, Justices and Human Rights” the Western media have long boasted? The asnwer will be "no."

"News of the World, to be sure, was never considered a serious and reliable source of news, but the degree to which the newspaper was cozying up to government officials is alarming," said Susan Milligan with the U.S. News.

Though there has been no evidence of criminal activity on the part of Murdoch’s other properties, Susan added, "but the taint is there."

More alarming is the unusual uncover of the ulterior relatioship between police and the News International. John O'Connor, former head of the specialist detectives unit the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad, called this relationship as "mutual admiration."

He said："This mutual admiration society worked very well for a time. Information passed freely both ways. The police benefited from undercover operations run by the newspapers, and in return the papers got their exclusive stories. The culture of police officers mixing with journalists was encouraged, and little thought was given to the potential of misconduct."

In the Western media, it is hardly new for some of them to bribe police, hire private eyes, eavesdrop on individual's phones and hack into people's email accounts. In order to survive the dog-eat-dog competition, members of the Western media are encourage to report exclusives regardless of laws and morality.

"It's going to change, I fear, how Britain is perceived outside, as well. There's no part of British public life that isn't being touched by this scandal now. So it's bound to change the relationships -- people hope, for the good, a less cozy relationship between politicians and the press," said Sarah Smith, correspondent for Channel 4 News U.K., based in Washington, D.C.

The scandal has had far reaching implications already and has now led to calls for reconsideration of privacy laws in many countries, which is the only side benefits of the matter.

Currently, as more revelations about the News of the World continue to pour out, it will take a long time for Western media to under go correction and rebuild their previously enviable reputation.

Xinhua