Sean Hoare, the former News of the World showbiz reporter who was the first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson was aware of phone hacking by his staff, has been found dead, the Guardian has learned.
Hoare, who worked on the Sun and the News of the World with Coulson before being dismissed for drink and drugs problems, is said to have been found dead at his Watford home.
Hertfordshire police would not confirm his identity, but the force said in a statement: "At 10.40am today [Monday 18 July] police were called to Langley Road, Watford, following the concerns for the welfare of a man who lives at an address on the street. Upon police and ambulance arrival at a property, the body of a man was found. The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
"The death is currently being treated as unexplained, but not thought to be suspicious. Police investigations into this incident are ongoing."
Okay I am going to try not to be too conspiratorial here but...oh fuck it, this simply CANNOT be a coincidence!
They need to get somebody besides the local police involved in this investigation immediately, and make damn sure that any other journalitst involved in this investigation, and their sources, are provided protection.
I realize that it is possible that this guy took his own life, or succumbed to "natural causes," but at this point I think those are the LEAST likely scenarios.
Suicide?
ReplyDeleteas i posted from day one ..the murdoch empire AND fox news included can be brought down by this scandel and once it becomes known to the american people that fox news was hacking their phone calls the game will be up...BUT....lets all see to it that the DOJ and the fbi and the democratic politicains are forcing this issue.
ReplyDeletecall write and support anyone willing to unmask murdoch because he will have lots ofhelp in hiding especially from the repigs.
If you read about this, it's not just the 'local' police. Two senior officers at Scotland Yard--the national police--have just resigned in past 24 hours. And Rebekah whats her name apparently told the prime minister that he needed to hire a press officer who was News of the World-friendly...and so he hired Coulson, instead of a BBC person...a newspaper editor telling the Prime MInister who he must hire? And the editor of the Wall Street Journal just resigned too....There is corruption at all levels, to the top, of many organizations here....should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt just gets weirder and weirder....And scarier.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad there are papers like the Guardian out there who are reporting the hard news.
Wait for the postmortem. Also, who called the police and why they were concerned enough to call.
ReplyDeleteWell if he had a "drink and drugs" problem, it could be that the death was either suicide or accidental overdose. If he knew his career was over, that could make a good case for suicide or not caring whether he drank and or drugged himself to death.
ReplyDeleteBut...........maybe it's Murdoch's damage control. ;-)
Whistle blowers are always in danger and a whistle-blower who outs a despicable practice of the Murdock Empire of Evil is a dead man walking. I believe that this evil has permeated the media in America as well. I just hope that a thorough investigation brings out the truth before the body count gets much higher.
ReplyDeletemore on Sean Hoare, he was known to have drug and alcohol problems, which could be a factor... or... not
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/sean-hoare-news-of-the-world
How easy to slip this guy some bad "stuff." Too much like the fall out from Watergate.
ReplyDeleteAnd the plot thickens . . . . with bodies.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is a staged suicide. I'm sure Murdoch and his ilk have enough connections to get a professional assassin to make it look like an OD or suicide.
ReplyDeleteI have lived a long time in fear of being able to speak my beliefs...
ReplyDeletePeople haven't changed from the beginning of recorded history...those who expose the truth have always run huge risks.
It feels like I am too often subjected to listen to right-wing "neighbors" claim all the righteousness, puffing themselves up as they purport to be the better human being...and it drives me crazy.
I am truly sorry to hear this, but with all the crap that occurred (is occurring) with the police as well, you wonder if there is any hope for justice for the guy.
Remember David Kelly and his mysterious suicide?
ReplyDeleteThis seems to happen a lot in the UK.
Anon @ 10:33 AM said
ReplyDeleteWait for the postmortem. Also, who called the police and why they were concerned enough to call.
I won't trust a postmortem if it came from the police. It would have to be done by people who have ties to any of this going on to be trusted, or at least done by more than one person to have an accurate answer.
Just read the Guardian article - man was in contact with many in last week but interesting that only after discussing police involvement in the hacking was he found dead.
ReplyDeleteMr. Hoare may have had drug and/or alcohol problems currently or in the past but seemed perfectly capable of lucid interactions with reporters, etc. However, you can bet that this is the thing that will be played up and emphasized to make him seem untrustworthy and someone who would commit suicide whether accidentally or on purpose.
Speaking of "coincidences", did you know that Britta's bday is Aug 29????
ReplyDeleteSeriously. Sarah Palin, pregnant with Track, shares her wedding anniversary with TRack's soulmate.
AMAZING.
I know, I thought suicide too. But suicide from threats. possibly?
ReplyDeleteEveryone should follow @exNotwjourno2 on Twitter. You don't need Twitter to follow her. She's been breaking stories all week before they come out in the news. And the guardian uk paper has been using her as a source. So far everything she has predicted has been right. And everything leads to the cover up of madelaine mc cann :( Im sure Roger ailes is deleting all the files on the fox "brain room". Google "fox brain room" and see what comes up!
ReplyDeleteNothing is a coincidence is politics. NOTHING. from the beginning of the country's history to now.
ReplyDeleteHistory proves this.
Certainly it is possible it was an accident, suicide - or if he is a drug user - possibly an overdose. But you know as well as I do that these things can be staged.
ReplyDeleteAs to the local police - it seems corruption goes all the way to the top.
This is going to be the most outrageous scandal of all time I think - because Murdoch's reach goes so far.
I will be particularly interested when it starts to come apart here in the states. While at the same time that doofus, Steve Doocy, on FOX defends the whole pile of s---.
Pat Padrnos
Gryph, Syrin's blog is missing from the left hand column.
ReplyDeleteNot surprising when people like Murdoch and the gop get desperate anything goes. Hacking (no Different from wire tapping) a missing girl and soldiers that gave their lives and 911 victims these crazies have no lowest common denominator. Murder probably.
ReplyDeleteDidn't something similar happen in Alaska? On at least one occasion? Fire and dirty aircraft fuel come to mind.
ReplyDeleteThere are ways the rich clean up their loose ends and this is one of several options. Look for people disappearing, losing their minds and other such incidents to go along with unexpected death
Ailes name is surfacing!! Finally!! I've been waiting as I knew there was no way he could not be free of the 'dark side' of News Corp/Fox.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/18/former-fox-news-producer-claimed-networks-brain-room-led-to-phone-hacking/#ixzz1STrDTnAB
In a lengthy 2008 diatribe said to have doubled as a book pitch, Cooper claimed his own phone records had been hacked by Fox News employees, who he says used them to pinpoint him as a source used by David Brock, who founded liberal watchdog group Media Matters.
"Ailes knew I had given Brock the interview," he wrote
Replenish your popcorn supply people!!
Like the scene from the film, "Michael Clayton" where they kill the Tom Wilkinson "whistle-blower" character. And Rebekah Brooks is Tilda Swinton, sweating profusely in a bathroom stall . . .
ReplyDeleteSuicide? That definitely needs a closer look.
Over at Business insider right now !
ReplyDeletehttp://www.businessinsider.com/former-fox-news-producer-claims-the-networks-brain-room-led-to-hacking-2011-7
More Guardian articles. This one's on Sean Hoare: Sean Hoare knew how destructive the News of the World could be
ReplyDeleteAlso on The Guardian's homepage Guardian.co.uk there are some great links to stories on this scandal.
I've said it once, I'll say it again, I'm so happy there is at least one newspaper out there that is covering hard news.
How convenient for Murdoch that Sean had a "drug and alcohol" problem. Wow, just Wow. No sane person would ever believe that it was a suicide just because of the surrounding scandal.
ReplyDeleteanother one bites the dust!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/18/john-yates-met-police-resigns-quits?intcmp=239
"The Metropolitan police assistant commissioner John Yates has become the second high-profile Scotland Yard officer to resign over the phone-hacking scandal.
The resignation of Yates – the country's top counter-terrorism officer – comes a day after his boss, the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, stepped down."
I think mentioning drink & drug in the article is a set up to blame his death on drugs.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Jude Law is now talking and saying he was hacked by NOTW while on American soil.
From what I gathered this guy had gone through rehab and was off drugs.
ReplyDeleteBut, the article said he had been just been injured, so he could have needed pain meds, I don't know. He had kids. It will be interesting to see what the family says. This has to be very sad.
Let's just hope that this guy did not die in vain. May Murdock, his empire, and all those involved go up in a maelstrom of flames. Hopefully those flames will engulf the half-term half-wit from Wasilla.
ReplyDeleteRemember, that bastion of all knowledge, she who is so important that her name must be trademarked...said a long time ago that she did not believe in coincidences.
ReplyDeleteThis whole thing is like a really bad mystery...so many subplots and shady characters. If I was reading this book, I would say it is too far fetched.
And...yes, I too immediately thought of that Menard guy's fuel problem and the ob nurse's mysterious fire and death. No matter what the coroner rules, that doesn't mean this wasn't an assisted death.
I wish it would take Fox and that trademarked bitch down, but I am old enough to know that it will all be brushed under the carpet.
Lo @ 10:58 AM said
ReplyDeleteEveryone should follow @exNotwjourno2 on Twitter. You don't need Twitter to follow her. She's been breaking stories all week before they come out in the news. And the guardian uk paper has been using her as a source. So far everything she has predicted has been right. And everything leads to the cover up of madelaine mc cann (snip)
Thanks for the tip. I've started following him/her. Fascinating reading.
O/T While we're at it, I want to see Ken Lay's body. Just sayin.
ReplyDeleteVernD
FOX has had way too much time to get rid of stuff. But, people do talk and some of their employees will eventually.
ReplyDeleteI can hardly wait to watch all of this unfold on THIS side of the ocean.
Breaking News: UK police confirm that a second ex-News of the World staffer, Alex Marunchak, was employed by Scotland Yard - Guardian http://tgr.ph/naCLyr
ReplyDeleteFmr. Fox News Executive: Americans' Phones Were Hacked
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/17/995568/-Fmr-Fox-News-Executive:-Americans-Phones-Were-Hacked?via=siderec
Anonymous at 11:04: hit the "SHOW ALL" tab at the bottom of that section of the blogroll (the Alaskan blogs); then Syrin's blog shows up. You had me scared; we need Syrin. She knows Sarah; she knows the family; and she knows Wasilla. She is a Republican, a conservative, and is pro-life, and she knows that Sarah Palin is none of those things really!
ReplyDeleteWasn't there a nurse that "died" who worked at Mat-Su Valley hospital?
ReplyDeleteUnder the circumstances, I would hope the police treats the case as suspicious until proven conclusively otherwise.
ReplyDeleteHoare had a history of excessive drug and alcohol use and had been suffering health issues for some time. It has been reported that after an examination, his doctor said that his severely damaged liver was that of a dead man. I would imagine that the abuse he had subjected to his body will most likely be implicated in the cause of death.
ReplyDeleteThe only implication that NoW had anything to do with his death is that he covered the entertainment industry and was encouraged to get his stories by leading the life of a rocker.
FWIW: In the olden days, the Russians were able to off people and make it look like those victims had committed suicide...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/65153608@N06/5951407997/in/photostream/
ReplyDeleteHold your nose when you wade into the stupidity.
@DaisyDem Whew! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOne would think with all the publicity the whistle blower would have felt safer even if the police was suspect,perhaps the Guardian or MP's in the house he could reach out to.I read where he said he was paid by his paper to do drugs, booze with celebs to get info to write about them. Something does not seem right
ReplyDeleteWeren't pundits just musing in the last few days that the more resignations and arrests connected to News Corp, the more future whistle-blowers will be emboldened to come out?
ReplyDeleteThis certainly has taken care of that possibility, now hasn't it? ...back into their holes they go...
His apparently has a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Really easy to cover a murder with a history like that. Not happy at all!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
Should be interesting to hear if Palin was invited into the 'Fox Brain Room' when she was in the offices/studio.
ReplyDeleteStory link about 'Brain Room' posted by Anon at 11:19.
Also a post on earlier blog contained an excellent link which I think should be reposted here:
http://tinyurl.com/3tdt2cy
"Much of the lawsuit was based on the testimony of Robert Emmel, a former News America executive who had become a whistle-blower. After a few days of testimony, the News Corporation had heard enough. It settled with Floorgraphics for $29.5 million and then, days later, bought it, even though it reportedly had sales of less than $1 million."
While this is indeed a suspicious coincidence, there are probably thousands of rats waiting to jump ship and talk to save their own skins within News Corp. I found this interesting diary at Kos for those who wonder if the hacking is confined to the UK. The article is a bit dry, but the upshot is this: ALL Murdoch entities use a shared platform. This is a system wide cancer that shoots the whole "single rogue reporter" defenses to smithereens. This is not going away, or going well for Murdoch.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/17/995522/-Comments-from-Inside-News-Corp-UPDATED?via=search
nonymous said...
ReplyDeleteO/T While we're at it, I want to see Ken Lay's body. Just sayin.
VernD
11:59 AM
-------------------------------------
Just take a trip to the Bush's south american ranch, I'm sure he'd love a visit.
I was listening to Mike Papantonio the other day, who noted that the News Corpse legal team had up and quit, and that this only happens when the client has lied to the legal team about their actions. The legal team will part ways with the client rather than perjure themselves. See: Enron, WorldCom, etc. In other word, "the excrement is about to hit the air conditioning" (thank you, Kurt Vonnegut).
ReplyDeleteIt's all gonna come out: They queer elections. They spy on people. They smear people to promote a right wing agenda. THEY ARE THE ENEMY.
ReplyDeleteYeah. Marilyn Monroe....
ReplyDeletewas whacked.
My son just called to tell me that the Guardian is reporting that a laptop, a cell phone and one other item (can't remember what he said) was found by a custodian (and turned over to the authorities) in a trash can somewhere close to Rebekka Brook's apartment. Apparently, Ms. Brook's husband told the authorities that he had loaned these to a friend who was (get this now - put down your coffee first) supposed to return them by leaving them in a car park (we call them parking garages) and he'd pick them up, but the friend returned them to the wrong place. Riiiiiiiiight!
ReplyDeleteDaisydem - Here's the link about the mystery bag-computer-papers-phone:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/mystery-bag-bin-rebekah-brooks
Daisydem 1:22
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to the story in the Guardian about the finding of the laptop, phone.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/mystery-bag-bin-rebekah-brooks
It is hard to feel bad for the guy but even if a number of Murdoch's thugs take the easy way out it makes Murdoch look all the worse.
ReplyDeleteIf the law can't get Murdoch at least let's hope there is overwhelmingly bad PR that makes it impossible to continue in the media business.
There's probably nothing in the "mystery bag" because the person who returned it had just finished erasing everything.
ReplyDeleteFBI Opens News Corp. Investigation, Shares Plunge http://t.co/cQ6VYCQ via @bluemassgroup
ReplyDeleteEver see "Michael Clayton"???? There are no coincidences. But let's hope he left a breadcrumb trail "just in case" if you know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteThis man has a long history of paranoia and alcohol abuse so his death is not to surprising.
ReplyDeleteEven if Murdoch doesn't get jail time, it seems the shareholders have lost confidence. His very name could become toxic to stock prices.
ReplyDeleteHEY LOOK EVERYBODY!! The Fairy Tale Troll has figured out how to open a Flickr account! Congrats and we look forward to more pictures that you post!
ReplyDeleteThis man's death is highly suspicious, and knowing that RuPert is going before parliament as his empire crumbles should signal the beginning of more investigateions and revelations to come.
ReplyDeleteThe guardian is doing a fine job at keeping the light focused like a laser on this story.
How much longer will shareholders feel comfortable investing their money in this company? Advertisers will surely follow suit, but how long can RuPert keep things intact? Even with his vast wealth and corrupt connections, his fate is sealed.
Rudy Giuliani is calling for people to not rush to judgement, that RuPert is an honorable and honest man! lmao
Can't make this crap up!
this guy and Dr David Kelly were both dead on the same day: July18.
ReplyDeletenuther coinky.
Whistleblower found dead.... but NPR stated (without any substantive explanation) that his death was considered "natural". Then there are the NUMEROUS references back to his substance abuse problems..with no mention as to how many years ago that might have been....and the references to his having pain...for several different injuries....(thus they speculate as to what precipitated his ALLEGED return to chemicals, and thus infers FURTHER that his death was perhaps an accidental overdose OR suicidally driven....INFERRED...not stated...(sub text!)... and the thing that struck me ...blindingly so...was how much this swirling sub text reminded me of another alleged "suicide" of Dr. David Kelly in London at the start of the Iraq war....There are 'fingerprints' or perhaps "paw" prints of someone, some entity who eased Sean off the planet...... someone who had much to lose....more important than some Whistleblower's life.
ReplyDeleteSean's sacrifice should be honored...and just maybe he will have helped bring down that loathsome 'media' corporation...and its ruthless autorcratic executive... RIP Sean.