From the Washington Post:
The Guardian reports that Sean Hoare, the former News of the World reporter who first claimed that Andy Coulson knew of phone hacking by his staff, has been found dead at his home. The police told the Guardian that they do not know how Hoare died, but do not believe the cause of death to be suspicious.
Hoare gave an interview to the New York Times in 2010 that bolstered allegations the phone hacking was a widespread and accepted practice at the tabloid. He also said that Coulson encouraged the practice. Hoare was let go from the News of the World for problems related to drinking and drugs.
Hoare had been in contact with the Guardian and the New York Times only last week, stating that the News of the World staff used police technology to track phones.
Here is the 2010 BBC interview with Hoare speaking about the phone hacking.
So why do people just die but nothing is suspicious? The guy doesn’t look old enough for it to have been from natural causes. In fact, he looks downright chipper. The more that is turned up, the more suspicious all of this story is beginning to sound.
It can’t all be about phone hacking. As nasty of a habit as that might be, it isn’t worth the head of Scotland Yard resigning and the Prime Minister (or 2 or 3) ducking and heading for cover. Was Sean murdered to protect some big muckety muck in England? Will the Murdoch scandal cross the Big Pond? Will Steve Doocy continue to make up excuses and exclaim that the media is ‘piling on’ poor Rupert Murdoch? Are the friends at Faux News getting a little nervous over their jobs? If Murdoch crumbles, can their godfather be far behind?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Rupert Murdoch and his Fox Noise maggots have gotten too big for anybody’s good. Now they can get away with murder.
Not surprised at all over this news. Not suspicious? What a joke. Move along, folks, nothing to see here.
According to the London Telegraph of 19 July, Hoare was very overweight, a long-time heavy drinker, and very much into drugs, especially cocaine, a bad habit he himself admitted that he had picked up while reporting on show biz people. According to friends, his health had gone severely downhill; and he was deteriorating before their eyes. One of them said that “his liver was in such a bad way that a doctor marvelled at the fact that he was still alive.” These same friends state that he was really a good guy, sort of a traditional type fixture on Fleet Street, who was always willing to help younger colleagues get a good start in the business. Hoare admitted that he also did hacking because of the pressure of getting a story. Glasses are being raised to him tonight by his many friends.
I haven’t seen anything yet to refute the story of failing health. In the press atmosphere of Fleet Street, I would expect to see strong refutations if this health story is not true. But, like any trained investigator, I will bide my time to see if any such refutations arise, as well as await the results of the official autopsy. In the meantime, only someone so filled with blind hate that they cannot see straight would go on a blog with absolute zero information and accuse someone else of getting away with murder.
Maybe the cigarette explains it all? Cough cough, thump! Ask Jose Baez, I’m sure he’ll have a theory for your entertainment.
I don’t think that it is unusual for people to be suspicioius when someone young dies in the middle of a scandal that is very far reaching. Look how many people have lost jobs so far. I don’t think its unreasonable to assume that one of those folks might be angry, real angry, especially if he knew something on someone and they feared he would tell.
It also might be his health or an overdose or a myriad of other reasons. The timing is just very suspicious. Police say his death is not suspicious. Of course, there is always the police on the take part of this scandal……
True, I just find it curious how everyone jumping to the conclusion that perhaps his death was suspicious is acceptable, yet with all the overwhelming evidence many believe Casey Anthony did nothing wrong. So we convict entire organizations with little evidence, yet let individual killers walk free when overwhelming evidence does exists. It’s our strange take on justice, or maybe the fact that we all love conspiracy theories. It’s like reading good fiction.
SA, I don’t know one person who doesn’t feel that Casey Anthony is a murderer. Not one.
Where are you getting these people from who think she did nothing wrong? I think you might be hanging with a bad crowd!!!!
No, I’m referring to people who comment on the CNN News articles. It is amazing how many ignore or distort (as did Baez) the evidence. Trust me, if the jurors were told that the judge knew the truth, and the accuracy of their verdict determined whether they went home or went to jail themselves, they would have voted guilty. However, they were unwilling to convict anyone given any amount of evidence on the fractional chance that the person was innocent, and so they took the easy way out and used Baez’s claims to rationalize making the not guilt verdict. I’m not sure you could give anyone the death sentence unless the entire jury was at the scene of the crime when it occurred. Even then the defense would say to the jury but how do you know the person in custody is the person you saw commit the crime? Doubt is soooo easy to fabricate. After all we exist in a world where much of what we see is fabricated in movies, pictures, and politics.
@Second Alamo
“(I)f the accuracy of their verdict determined whether they went home or went to jail themselves, they would have voted guilty.”
One of the most stunning sentences I’ve read on here in some time.
I’ve been flipping between Fox News and CNN. Fox has not mentioned the hearing now going on in Parliament in the News Corpse case. It’s been a regular fair & balanced bash Obama Tuesday. The debt debate, a drunk air traffic controller and Betty White’s invitation to the Marine Corps Ball are the top of the news items for Fox. The News Corpse hearing is the top of the hour story on CNN and they have a picture-in-picture thing going that shows the hearing as it is taking place.
News Corpse. bwaaaahahahahahahaha. Is that the death knell?
Why is Betty White going to the Marine Corps Ball and isn’t it in Nov? Faux News is desperate for something to talk about. Funny how silent they become when the shoe is on the other foot.
Interestingly for a week – maybe week and a half the local Fox channel has been covering the story and acknowledging that News Corp is their parent company.
I think the idea that Fox, WSJ, et al are avoiding the story is misleading.
I think the story is interesting. But not interesting enough to keep my attention. I think the investigation needs to get past the starting block before we know what’s gone on and if any laws were broken. Also, it’ll be interesting to what level the government was involved.
marin, their coverage has been very light, and understandably so. Did you see the Doocy video we posted here? It sounded like excuse city. They most certainly have avoided reporting some of the news I have heard and read in other media.
What would it take to keep your attention? An entire media empire is crumbling. The number 1 & 2 people at Scotland Yard have resigned. There is a bread crumb trail to the prime minister’s office…and maybe not just one prime minister. And entire newspaper has shut down, perhaps more to follow. Murdoch’s son may go to jail. The editor of NOTW has not only resigned but has also been arrested. Murdoch and son are appearing before Parliament.
I am not even sure I fully understand it but I sure want to and it is holding my interest. I have known something was wrong with Faux News all along. They make up crap and they present opinion as news. They have a cult like following. They sell conservatism through their women who show leg and cleavage all day long, and every one of those women are very attractive. This is no secret. Most of the men are ummm…not so special…but that doesn’t matter. They are men. Even Greta dolls up now. She didn’t used to allow lipstick. Now she has had full cosmetic surgery.
Whew, I’m glad I didn’t watch one minute of the Casey Anthony trial…only saw the news clips when I was too lazy to get up from my chair.
SA, it appears that the defense attorney did his job well. Perhaps the jury did not.
Mo, the net nannies will oppose your use of “News Corpse”. lol
It will be interesting to see how this whole scandal plays out – including here in the US. The Murdochs have a stranglehold on the news in many areas thanks to our politicians. I hope the Justice Department is thorough in its inquiry. We know Faux News won’t be.
You’re probably going to find out at the end of the day that this guy shoved an 8-ball up his nose and popped his heart. Nevertheless a lot of people are probably going to go to jail for hacking, bribery, etc. The good news is that this may result in the incompetent Murdoch Monarchy being removed from management and we get to find out what the company is actually worth. Keep your eye on this one Moon, if the bad headlines keep coming and NWS gets beaten down into the 13.4 level it represents good value, especially if they can bring in some management talent. Remember BP and RIG during the Gulf oil spill? Same situation.
“What would it take to keep your attention?”
For this to be an American issue and not a UK one.
Suspicion without evidence means only that you can raise a question while admitting that you know nothing and are only seeking answers for clarification. Suspicion without knowledge followed by immediate conclusion of guilt without knowledge is dangerous ground on which to tread. Seems to me that this was one of the principal themes of “The Oxbow Incident.”
Someone might have bumped him off, sure. A lot of people are involved. @ Wolverine
Moon — What Starryflights did was not simply an expression of suspicion. It was an immediate finding of guilt without an iota of evidence. Are you telling me that you are defending Starryflights on this one? Think back a bit. What was your reaction to those who, also without an iota of evidence, accused the Clintons of murder in the case of a certain high level White House aide who committed suicide?
@Wolverine, I was defending myself for the thread. And I think he could have been killed. By whom? Who knows. Lots of people are involved and have lost their job and God knows what else.
How likely is it that the death of Sean Hoare, a relatively young man, at this particular moment is pure coincidence ?
The death of such a vital witness is obviously very convenient, and surely very comforting, to the criminals involved in the Murdoch companies’ many lawless activities.
@marinm
I am not sure it won’t become an American issue. But, I do understand your point…different rules, different terms of engagement. The Brit press is far different and far worse than ours. Our press at least pretends to be professional and ethical. There are some greats in the field also.
@Moon-howler
Now, I’ll throw you a bone here and say if it DOES come to the US and News Corp did some wrong things I’ll have to re-evaluate what news sources I use and review.
I’m not so partisan that I’ll ‘stick by Murdoch’ for the sake of playing nice with my fellow conservatives. But, I don’t think there is enough right now to have me think that this is more than just some people that decided to go mustang and do things improperly.
I also feel that this being a tabloid vs. a real newspaper dulls it some.
Anyways, for fun.. Because of how the thread started. From the Guardian (for those keeping score they aren’t a tabloid).
A postmortem into the death of the News of the World whistleblower Sean Hoare found no evidence of third-party involvement and confirmed that his death was non suspicious, the police have said.
No specific cause of death was given by the police, who said they were waiting for the results of toxicology tests and were continuing to examine “health problems” identified during the autopsy.
Hertfordshire police said the results were “inconclusive”, but detectives could not rule out suicide until they knew the results of the tests, which could take weeks.
I simply do not know what happened nor am I really speculating. There are many ironies here. I was watching the Parliamentary procedures and someone went after Murdoch today. How bizarre. I never found out what happened there either because I had to leave.
@Wolverine, there is too much protest. Actually, when someone has that many people scrambling, anything is possible, even if one is mainlining heroin.
The conservative blogs are falling all over themselves to point out how bad of health Hoare was in. Plenty of people fit that bill.
Moon, I was not going after YOU because of the thread. You asked a question because of coincidence. The same question was raised elsewhere, which is why you saw a preliminary answer from the police.
It ‘s the automatic jump to the uninformed conclusion of guilt in #1 which pisses the Hell out of me. And, let me repeat, coincidence is not evidence of fact. It is only coincidence. You may surely want to take a look at it, but you do not jump to conclusions just because something does not fit into a preconceived pattern.
And, contary to Mike’s assertion, Sean Hoare was not simply a “relatively young man.” He was, from many reports by his close friends, a very physically ill man who seemed to be growing more so by the day. He was a chain smoker, he had a very serious problem with alcohol, he was overweight, and he was an admitted user of cocaine. He was also depressed because he had been fired from his news job. Could have been the ill health which caused him to go. Might even have been suicide as some have opined. But I think that the last thing we need to get involved in is accusations of murder when we are totally without facts. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I certainly do not want to live in a society in which you can be “convicted” by blog and/or media.
Glenn Beck is his usual pig self. He is laughing over the Sean Hoare story.
When is anyone’s death funny?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/19/glenn-beck-prays-for-fox-news_n_903877.html
Actually, Osama Bin Laden’s death has been the source of some great jokes…. 😈
…two shots and a splash?
too soon?
:devil:
@marinm
Actually I had one of those THAT DAY! I say, NOT SOON ENOUGH!
I wonder if sharks in the ARABIAN GULF consider Bin Laden to be halal?
@marinm
Oh, and its colon twisted colon or colon evil colon
@marinm
wait…wait, that makes me think of another osama joke….twisted evil colon……shark….get it?
ok, I was reaching….but I found it amusing.
How can there be “too much protest” over attempts to accuse someone of murder without a shred of evidence? And, if it is established that Sean Hoare died for reasons other than foul play, will the accusers then offer apologies to the accused?
Hmmmm, this dude who couldn’t put his cancer-stick down long enough for a snapshot died. Very, very strange indeed! Typically, all the vitamins and minerals in those little nutritious white sticks-o-joy make one immune from all but suspicious death!