News of the World’s Final, Hidden Message for Rebekah Brooks

Rupert Murdoch's decision to close News of the World left more than 200 News International employees out of work and angry, especially at their former boss Rebekah Brooks.

Brooks, who is currently the chief executive of News International, was the editor of News of the World when the alleged phone-hacking started, but she has escaped official blame and is keeping her prestigious job.

Although warned by superiors to ensure there were no libels or any hidden mocking messages of the chief executive, angry journalists were able to sneak their feelings into print. Hidden in the Games section of the final issue of the News of the World tabloid, which was printed last Sunday, cryptic word clues are thought to refer to Brooks.

One puzzle had the words Brook, stink, catastrope and digital protection strewn throughout, while the crossword clues included phrases like criminal enterprise, mix in prison, string of recordings and will fear new security measure.

Crossword answers were equally damning, showing stench, disaster, pest, and tart.

According to The Telegraph, before the final printing Brooks and two senior journalists pored over the entire issue looking for slander.

She brought in two very senior Sun journalists to go through every line on every page with a fine tooth comb to ensure there were no libels or any hidden mocking messages of the chief executive, a source told the British paper. But they failed and we've had the last laugh.

Murdoch has said on numerous occasions that Brooks will remain the head of his News International, and insists that she had nothing to do with the illicit and shameful practices that took down his weekly tabloid.

As her former staffers continue to shout invectives and politicians and celebrities scream for her resignation, perhaps one crossword clue aptly describes Rebekah Brooks' current mental state: woman stares wildly at calamity.