News of the World closed after 168 years over phone hacking claims
The Murdochs shut down the profitable tabloid in 2011 as allegations of hacking victims' phones continued to spread, at a cost of one billion pounds.
The Murdochs made a stunning decision in 2011 to close News of the World, a newspaper that had been publishing for 168 years and remained profitable.
The announcement
The family announced that News of the World would shut down as allegations that the paper had hacked victims' phones kept spreading. The scandal showed no signs of slowing, and the decision came swiftly.
The final edition
The last edition of the tabloid had been planned for July 10. After nearly two centuries of publication, the paper would print its final issue and cease operations.
The cost of the scandal
The price of stopping the scandal was steep. Closing the newspaper cost one billion pounds, a figure that reflected not just the immediate shutdown but the broader fallout from the hacking allegations that had engulfed the publication.
