NUJ: 'The NoW has gone but the scandal remains'

The NUJ has added its voice to demands for a debate in the Commons on Wednesday (July 13) on the proposed BSkyB deal and is calling for it to be halted pending the outcome of a public inquiry and criminal investigation into phone hacking.

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “It is vital that this deal is halted until the results of the criminal investigation and the public inquiry are publicly available.

"A survey carried out at the weekend shows that only one in ten members of the public believes Murdoch is a 'fit and proper person' to run BSkyB – a damning insight into the scale of public anger about this scandal.

“The News of the World may have gone, but the scandal remains. With every day that passes, the extent of the cover up perpetrated at the highest level of News International becomes clear. The ‘smoking gun’ emails have been known about for at least four years and level of the hush money payments forked out has been staggering."

She added: “Any future press regulatory system must work to ensure the public can have trust in its media, in the democratically vital service that journalism is. The 'fit and proper' test of media ownership should now be applied to all of Murdoch’s press and media in the UK.”