Have to say I think Coogan comes across badly here. If he is taking the same cash as is being earned by these methods (and he doesn't deny it), and so calling someone else 'morally bankrupt' is a bit rich. Obv the other guy is morally bankrupt, but still!
People buy these papers - closing down the NotW, however welcome temporarily, ain't gonna change this. To me, the real question is, why the fuck do people feel the need to read in depth about the murder of a child, or the murder of a random person? We all do to some extent or other, and so a bit of self-interrogation rather than lambasting admittedly below-scum journalists is what's really needed. We ALL have dressed extremely morbid curiosoity up as something else at some stage or another. It's like blaming arms dealers for war or something - yes they're reprehensible, but come on!
And all these companies withdrawing their advertising from NotW - let's see what things they've been more than happy to put their money INTO... start with Lloyds?
And why are Tory minsiters not eviscerated like this on Newsnight, for putting into place cuts which have no purpose other than to destory lives? Thsi whole thing reeks of a massive outpouring of sanctimony/people feeling good about themselves to me. which again, we all do, but let's fucking admit it!
All that said, of course i'm glad the NotW is closing. I just don't think it's (a) completely because of this scandal (b) gonna change all that much in the end. And those families' lives are still fucked, however sanctimonious Steve Coogan gets (and most of what he says seems to be about him!).