Bob Wooten: Thanks, Rupert, we needed that

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The newspaper industry being in the fine financial shape that it is, and journalism having suffered no credibility issues over the years, another scandal involving newspaper journalism is just what the doctor ordered.

Now let the malpractice actions begin.

Rupert, of course, is Rupert Murdoch, head of News Corp., a media empire stretching from Australia to Great Britain and the U.S. In our country, his high-profile properties include Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

But the News Corp. portfolio also includes News of the World, a British tabloid that has titillated readers for years with tawdry sex, drug and celebrity scandals. Murdoch abruptly put News of the World to death last week in a futile effort to defuse the rag's own scandal.

Brits of every class were outraged to learn that the newspaper staffers had hacked into the voicemails on a cell phone owned by a teenage murder victim to get leads for stories.

When the phone's memory filled up, they deleted voicemails to create room, hoping for more scoops. In the process, the tabloid may have compromised the police investigation in the case and given false hope to the girl's family that she might still be alive.

It appears News of the World staffers were hacking into many other phones, too, including those used by celebrities, athletes and politicians. Beyond costing Murdoch one of his newspapers, the furor derailed his plans to acquire British Sky Broadcasting, which would have given News Corp. yet another license to print money.

Now it looks like the mess is about to jump the pond. The FBI is investigating reports that Murdoch's minions may have tried to hack into the cell phones of 9/11 victims. I won't wear you out by reciting the syllabus for Journalism 101, but take my word for it: Hacking into people's cell phones does not meet the accepted ethical standards for conventional journalism.

But Rupert plays by Rupert's rules, not by the stodgy guidelines that have served journalism well over many decades.

Even organizations that generally adhere to high ethical standards sometimes end up in hot water.

In 2003, for instance, Jayson Blair's plagiarism and phony stories did nearly irreparable damage to the New York Times' reputation.

A decade earlier, NBC's "Dateline" show did the same with an investigative piece about GM pickups exploding in low-impact crashes. The producers, unfortunately, rigged the truck with explosives to create an on-air demonstration. That made NBC News a punch line for years.

Ethical lapses like these undermine the public's confidence in all journalists, and the phone-hacking scandal could not have erupted at a worse time, just when newsrooms everywhere are trying to shake off a recession-induced financial hangover.

Again, thanks Rupert. You and News Corp. are helping turn modern journalism into a news corpse.

• Bob Wooten is the managing editor of the Daily. Contact him at 800-296-5137 or at bwooten@nvdaily.com.