WHAT DID MURDOCH KNOW AND WHEN DID HE KNOW IT?

James Murdoch’s testimony before a parliamentary committee about the extent of phone hacking at News of the World, the now-defunct London tabloid, was challenged today (Tuesday) by the newspaper’s former editor, Colin Myler, and its former legal manager, Tom Crone.” Appearing before the same House of Commons committee, Myler said, “Murdoch was chief executive of the company [News International, a unit of News Corp]. Everybody perfectly understood the significance of what we were discussing.” He insisted that Murdoch was briefed on the hacking during a meeting in the spring of 2008. Murdoch had told the committee that he did not learn about it until January of this year. He issued a statement denying that Myler or Crone had informed him of the hacking. “I stand by my testimony, which is an accurate account of events,” he said. Also appearing before the committee today was Jon Chapman, former head of legal affairs at News International. Asked why reporter Clive Goodman was paid nearly $500,000 after being found guilty and jailed for phone hacking, Chapman said that former News International chief Les Hinton “wanted to do it on compassionate grounds because of the Goodman family.”