Rebekah Brooks, Les Hinton, Paul Stephenson

摘要

If a modern-day scandal's first act requires apologies, the second act necessitates resignations. And so it came to pass on July 15, when Rebekah Brooks and Les Hinton stepped down from News Corp., casualties of a rapidly unfolding British phone-hacking saga. Two days later, Sir Paul Stephenson, Scotland Yard commissioner, fell on his sword as a result of accusations of police involvement in the affair. It was to be expected: Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones, ran Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers during many of the hacking offenses; Brooks was editor of the now shuttered News of the World during the period of the tabloid's most egregious alleged wrongdoings; and Stephenson, head of the London police since 2008, has been criticized for allegedly accepting gifts linked to former Hews of the World deputy editor Neil Wallis, who was arrested as part of the investigation. The scandal's third act began July 19 with testimony in front of a British parliamentary committee. Stephenson paraphrased Macbeth, saying of his resignation, "It were best it were done quickly," and Brooks denied bribery, remarking, "In my experience of dealing with the police, the information they give to newspapers comes free of charge." For Hinton, a U.S. citizen living in New York City, retirement is probably the final stop, but for Brooks and Stephenson, there are many more acts to come.