LONDON (dpa): Media mogul Rupert Murdoch launched a new tabloid, the Sun on Sunday, in an attempt to draw a line under the phone hacking and corruption scandals that have plagued his British operations. The first Sunday edition of its daily sister paper, the Sun, went on sale with a pledge to abide by ethical journalistic standards, while remaining “fearless.” “You will be able to trust our journalists to abide by the values of decency as they gather news,” said an editorial, stressing that the Sun had been in the past a “force for good.” The paper, which bears the same red masthead as the daily, went on sale for just 50 pence (0.8 dollars), threatening a new price war in the embattled newspaper market. It replaces the News of the World (NotW) Sunday tabloid, which was closed down by Murdoch at the height of a scandal over the interception of mobile phone messages of hundreds of celebrities, politicians, soldiers, and victims of crime. It was the hacking of the phone of teenager Milly Dowler, who was abducted and killed a decade ago, which prompted a public outcry and eventually led to the closure of the Notw, after an existence of 168 years. Dowler's parents are among 50 people who have received hefty compensation payments from News International – Murdoch's British operations – but hundreds more claims are still outstanding. Sunday's launch was overseen personally by Murdoch, 80, who came to Britain 10 days ago to defuse anger over the arrest of 10 Sun journalists in connection with police investigations over alleged corrupt payments to public officials. “We believe those individuals are innocent until proven guilty. It has been a sobering experience for our entire industry, ” said Sunday's edition in connection with the ongoing investigations. From its choice of stories, it was clear that the Sun on Sunday was determined to tone down its intrusive – and at times illegal – ways of investigate journalism, kiss-and-tell stories and sex and crime, to become more of a “family newspaper,” appealing especially to women. The front page of its first edition carried an interview with Amanada Holden, a British television personality, who tells how she nearly died in childbirth. John Sentamu, the deputy head of the Anglican Church, and former glamour model Katie Price, are among the paper's contributors. However, the Sun on Sunday will not drop its penchant for naked Page 3 girls, displaying a topless photo of a singer in its first edition. There were also nearly 30 pages of football coverage, generally seen as a key selling point. Despite Murdoch's financial prowess, and his ability to use existing printing presses and staff to produce the new paper, analysts have said the launch is a bold and risky move. A total of 3 million copies were printed of the Sunday on Sunday, with Murdoch saying he would be “happy” if sales topped 2 million. The daily Sun has a circulation of 2.8 million, while the Notw had 2.7 million readers. Official figures show that the circulation of Sunday newspapers has halved over the past 10 years, to 7.8 million copies a week. However, with his cut price offer, Murdoch is clearly hoping to succeed in winning readers back, said media analyst Steve Hewlett. BM with Anna Tomforde ShortURL: http://goo.gl/AAYiJ Tags: Murdoch, News of the World, phone hacking scandal, UK Section: Business, Europe, Media
