In a move that will come as a shock to many, it has been announced that this Sunday, 10 July 2011, will be the last issue of the News of the World.

The official announcement was delivered on Thursday afternoon by James Murdoch, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation, and Chairman of News International.

In recent weeks, it has slowly come to light that staff at the News of the World had allegedly been involved in accessing the voicemails of murder/terror victims, soldiers killed in action, and their bereaved families. The practice is known as ‘phone hacking’.

The pattern of events

The scandal first surfaced five years ago in 2006, when evidence came to light suggesting that journalists at the Sunday paper had accessed the voicemail of royal aides. By 2007, two men – News of the World’s royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcair – had been jailed and the paper’s editor, Andy Coulson resigned.

In the years that followed, Coulson headed up the Conservative party’s communications arm, but resigned in January 2011 days before it was revealed that Scotland Yard was launching a new inquiry into the scandal in light of ‘significant new information’.

Throughout the spring of 2011, new information was released, and a number of staff and former staff at the paper were questioned, with a series of celebrities among those apparently targeted by the ‘phone hacking’ practices, including the actress Sienna Miller.

Then, on Monday 4 July, it was revealed that murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler’s phone may have been hacked and messages deleted. Police were later reported to have contacted the relatives of victims of the 7/7 bombings with similar information.

Top figures at News International – including former editor Rebekah Brooks and Rupert Murdoch, publicly denounced the practices, but the ensuing public outcry saw a number of high profile brands withdraw advertising from the paper, and columnists, including comedian Dave Gorman, resigned their posts.

On Thursday 7 July, it was announced that the paper would run only charity ads this Sunday, and close immediately afterwards.

It is not yet known if News International will launch an alternative Sunday paper to fill the gap left by the 168-year-old tabloid, but rumours are already rife that The Sun is set to transform into a seven day paper – only time will tell.

The official statement

Here’s James Murdoch’s statement to his staff in full – we’ve highlighted key passages in red:

“I have important things to say about the News of the World and the steps we are taking to address the very serious problems that have occurred.

It is only right that you as colleagues at News International are first to hear what I have to say and that you hear it directly from me. So thank you very much for coming here and listening.

You do not need to be told that The News of the World is 168 years old. That it is read by more people than any other English language newspaper. That it has enjoyed support from Britain’s largest advertisers. And that it has a proud history of fighting crime, exposing wrong-doing and regularly setting the news agenda for the nation.

When I tell people why I am proud to be part of News Corporation, I say that our commitment to journalism and a free press is one of the things that sets us apart. Your work is a credit to this.

The good things the News of the World does, however, have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong. Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our Company.

The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself.

In 2006, the police focused their investigations on two men. Both went to jail. But the News of the World and News International failed to get to the bottom of repeated wrongdoing that occurred without conscience or legitimate purpose.

Wrongdoers turned a good newsroom bad and this was not fully understood or adequately pursued.

As a result, the News of the World and News International wrongly maintained that these issues were confined to one reporter. We now have voluntarily given evidence to the police that I believe will prove that this was untrue and those who acted wrongly will have to face the consequences.

This was not the only fault.

The paper made statements to Parliament without being in the full possession of the facts. This was wrong.

The Company paid out-of-court settlements approved by me. I now know that I did not have a complete picture when I did so. This was wrong and is a matter of serious regret.

Currently, there are two major and ongoing police investigations. We are cooperating fully and actively with both. You know that it was News International who voluntarily brought evidence that led to opening Operation Weeting and Operation Elveden. This full cooperation will continue until the Police’s work is done.

We have also admitted liability in civil cases. Already, we have settled a number of prominent cases and set up a Compensation Scheme, with cases to be adjudicated by former High Court judge Sir Charles Gray. Apologising and making amends is the right thing to do.

Inside the Company, we set up a Management and Standards Committee that is working on these issues and that has hired Olswang to examine past failings and recommend systems and practices that over time should become standards for the industry. We have committed to publishing Olswang’s terms of reference and eventual recommendations in away that is open and transparent. We have welcomed broad public inquiries into press standards and police practices and will cooperate with them fully.

So, just as I acknowledge we have made mistakes, I hope you and everyone inside and outside the Company will acknowledge that we are doing our utmost to fix them, atone for them, and make sure they never happen again.

Having consulted senior colleagues, I have decided that we must take further decisive action with respect to the paper.

This Sunday will be the last issue of the News of the World.

Colin Myler will edit the final edition of the paper.

In addition, I have decided that all of the News of the World’s revenue this weekend will go to good causes.

While we may never be able to make up for distress that has been caused, the right thing to do is for every penny of the circulation revenue we receive this weekend to go to organisations – many of whom are long-term friends and partners – that improve life in Britain and are devoted to treating others with dignity.

We will run no commercial advertisements this weekend. Any advertising space in this last edition will be donated to causes and charities that wish to expose their good works to our millions of readers.

These are strong measures. They are made humbly and out of respect. I am convinced they are the right thing to do.

Many of you, if not the vast majority of you, are either new to the Company or have had no connection to the News of the World during the years when egregious behaviour occurred.

I can understand how unfair these decisions may feel. Particularly, for colleagues who will leave the Company. Of course, we will communicate next steps in detail and begin appropriate consultations.

You may see these changes as a price loyal staff at the News of the World are paying for the transgressions of others. So please hear me when I say that your good work is a credit to journalism. I do not want the legitimacy of what you do to be compromised by acts of others. I want all journalism at News International to be beyond reproach. I insist that this organisation lives up to the standard of behaviour we expect of others. And, finally, I want you all to know that it is critical that the integrity of every journalist who has played fairly is restored.

Thank you for listening.”