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News Corp And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Thursday, July 21, 2011 09:59 AM

tags: Dark Arts, Harry Potter, Magic, rupert murdoch, scandal, Tabloid

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When I posted this there was no sign of Harry Potter in the line-up. But as Niall O'Conghaile pointed out, perhaps it's Tom Watson, the MP who has been pushing the story for a long time.

But wait, there's more! Here's a fascinating insight into the way Bellatrix Lestrange ran News of the World:

"At Rupert Murdoch's tabloids, refusing to play ball meant being pushed to the sidelines. One reporter who said he went through that was Charles Begley, News of the World's Harry Potter correspondent in 2001 when Brooks was its editor. The then 29-year-old reporter said he wore a Harry Potter costume to work and officially changed his name to that of the fictional boy wizard, all part of the paper's attempt to tap into the Pottermania sweeping both sides of the Atlantic. On Sept. 11, hours after the fall of the twin towers, Begley was stunned to be chewed out by News of the World management for not wearing his costume. He said he was then ordered to attend the next news meeting in full Potter regalia. Shaken by the demand, Begley never showed up, and soon afterward parted ways with the paper."

Read more horrot stories about the NOTW culture on HuffPo and the full Harry Potter fiasco explained in The Guardian