News of the World staff cheer as they leave offices for last time

IN a moment of celebration tinged with sorrow and no little anger, the staff of Britain’s best-selling News of the World tabloid cheered as they left their offices for the last time.

Reporters, editors and production staff walked out of the building in east London en masse, and lined up before the world’s cameras waiting to capture a piece of media history.

The headline of the last edition was simple and unusually low key. It read: “THANK YOU & GOODBYE” and underneath in smaller print added: “After 168 years, we finally say a sad but very proud farewell to our 7.5 million loyal readers.”