Kitcatt Nohr Digitas

Closing the News of the World has brought out the best in the sub-editors of the surviving papers. ‘Hacked to Death’ screams this morning’s Mirror. ‘Paper That Died of Shame’ smirks the Mail. ‘Goodbye Cruel World’ in the Telegraph is my particular favourite.

Turn the page and, of course, the papers are full of conjecture about the real reasons for the closure. Will there be a Sunday Sun as soon as the dust settles? Is this a ‘sacrifice to save one woman’ as the Independent seems to think?

One interesting theory is that this is all part of a wider plan. That BSkyB has taken this opportunity to initiate a process that will, one day, see all their titles transform into digital only distribution.

My father in law, a lifelong journalist, tells me local papers across the UK have been planning the end of printed publication for a decade. Their marketplace is estate agency and sits vac. Two-way advertising that is far more effectively conducted online.

The News of the World, like all newspapers, has seen circulation plummet in recent years. Why read news that is 23 hours old when you can access breaking stories on your tablet, mobile or computer? So is this the beginning of the end of the national newspaper in print? Maybe the subs on the Sun are close enough to the Murdoch throne to have the answer. ‘World’s End’ is their headline.