Ken Auletta, who writes the influential “Annals of Communications” column for The New Yorker, joined The Luncheon Society in Manhattan for a return visit.
Last year he talked about Googled, his New York Times best-seller how Sergey Brin’s and Larry Page’s endeavor redefined the mantle of leadership within Silicon Valley, especially now that Facebook has emerged as its greatest challenger.
This year he talked about Rupert Murdoch and the phone hacking scandal that is mushrooming mushroomed over London. Executive after executive within Murdoch’s empire have walked the plank. The most painful departure was Rebekah Brooks the editor of News of the World, his signature London tabloid. Added to the list were Tom Crone, who ran legal affairs for the far flung empire, and Les Hinton, who ran Dow Jones. The question remained: would the scandal move from one side of the Atlantic to another?
Note: Special thanks to our friend Shari Foos, who hosted the Luncheon Society gathering in Manhattan.
Humble Start. The first chapter of the phone hacking scandal bubbled into public view mid-decade when members of the Royal Family discovered that their voicemails had been pilfered, which was a violation of British law. The subsequent investigation soon circled the offices of The News of the World. Within months, their Royal Editor and an investigator pled guilty to the charges and were shuttled off for short jail sentences. Mistakes were acknowledged, apologies were made, and promises were made that nothing like this would ever happen again. Continue reading
The Luncheon Society 