In a memorable scene from the film Casablanca, Louis Renault, the affable but corrupt French police chief, closes Rick’s club. “I am shocked, shocked to discover that gambling is going on here,” he declaims, collecting his winnings from the croupier as he orders the customers to leave.
Rebekah Brooks’ memo to the staff of the News of the World echoed these words, no doubt unconsciously. “We were all appalled and shocked when we heard about these allegations yesterday,” she wrote, followed by the somewhat enigmatic: “I have to tell you that I am sickened that these events are alleged to have happened,” she added. “Not just because I was editor of the News of the World at the time.” The British tabloid newspaper closed within the week.
This visceral revulsion to reports of wrongdoing was also experienced by Bob Diamond, former chief executive of Barclays. Mr Diamond explained to the UK’s parliamentary commission on banking standards that he felt “physically ill” when he learnt employees of the bank had been making false rate submissions in the Libor scandal. Mr Diamond explained in his memo to staff that he was “disappointed because many of these behaviours [sic] happened on my watch” but reassured them that “it is my responsibility to make sure that it cannot happen again”.