New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Politics
  2. Media
12 July 2011

An alternative take on the phone-hacking scandal

Jon Stewart reacts to the News of the World scandal. "Oh my God, my balls just crawled back up into

By Duncan Robinson

An old adage states that familiarity breeds contempt. There has been so much coverage of the phone-hacking scandal that it is easy to forget just how appalling some of the accusations are. Jon Stewart and the British John Oliver from the Daily Show, however, provide a fresh pair of eyes on the scandal. The pair gave a rather pertinent summary of the allegations on the Daily Show last night.

The best exchange goes like this:

Jon Stewart: “Can’t your Prime Minister or anyone do something?”
John Oliver: “David Cameron? Funny story about him. The former editor of the News of the World, Andy Coulson, the one who presided over the paper during some of its most egregious hacking scandals and later resigned in disgrace was hired by, none other than – wait for it – David Cameron as his press secretary.”
Jon Stewart: “Oh my God, my balls just crawled up into my body! You people are garbage.”

 

Give a gift subscription to the New Statesman this Christmas from just £49
Content from our partners
Putting citizen experience at the heart of AI-driven public services
Skills policy and industrial strategies must be joined up
How the UK can lead the transition to net zero