AFTER 9-MONTH PROBE, LEVESON ISSUES MILD REPORT ON UK MEDIA

For an investigation that was triggered by the alleged misdeeds of News Corp’s British subsidiary, News International, whose tabloids, the now-defunct News of the World and The Sun, were accused of hacking the voicemail of thousands of citizens and paying bribes to police and other officials for information, there was surprisingly scant criticism of Rupert […]

HUGH GRANT ARRIVES FOR REPORT ON PHONE HACKING, PRESS ETHICS

Hugh Grant, one of the telephone-hacking victims of Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid newspapers in the U.K., was among the first to arrive at a London conference center where the report by the Leveson committee on media ethics and responsibility is due to be issued momentarily. Also in attendance: British satirist Tiernan Douieb, who tweeted: “Hugh Grant […]

NEWS CORP WON’T SETTLE WITH “INDIRECT” VICTIM OF HACKING

News International, the British subsidiary of News Corp that oversees its U.K. newspapers, may already have paid about $225 million to settle invasion-of-privacy cases brought against it by victims of hacking — but it is refusing to settle a claim by one person described as “collateral damage” in the scandal. Mary-Ellen Field, who had worked […]

REPORT: MURDOCH PLANS TO HACK OFF HIS NEWS BUSINESS

At one point during his testimony to the Leveson committee looking into the telephone hacking scandal at his U.K. newspapers, Rupert Murdoch conceded that he may have overlooked the wrongdoing by some of the papers’ staff because the newspapers represented such a small part of News Corp’s overall revenue. Now, according to the Wall Street […]

CAMERON: NO DEALS WITH MURDOCH

British Prime Minister David Cameron has dismissed as “nonsense” the suggestion that he had reached an agreement with Rupert Murdoch to push through Murdoch’s plan to take over full ownership of satellite broadcaster BSkyB in return for support from Murdoch’s newspapers in the general election. In testimony before the Leveson committee, which is looking into […]

U.K. BUSINESS SECRETARY EXPLAINS HIS “WAR ON MURDOCH” COMMENT

Britain’s business secretary, Vince Cable, claimed today (Tuesday) that he had heard “veiled threats” that Rupert Murdoch would retaliate if he did not approve Murdoch’s bid to take over complete ownership of BSkyB, the British satellite operator. It was in that context, he indicated in testimony before the Leveson hearing into journalistic ethics, that he […]

U.K. FILMMAKER DISRUPTS HEARING AS BLAIR TESTIFIES

A documentary filmmaker interrupted today’s (Monday) session of the Leveson hearing into British journalistic ethics as former Prime Minister Tony Blair was testifying. The filmmaker, David Lawley Wakelin, shouted, “This man is a war criminal” before being apprehended by security staff and removed from the hearing room. He had entered it through a door reserved […]

FORMER LONDON TIMES EDITOR: MURDOCH RESPONSIBLE FOR SCANDAL

The former editor of the London Times and the Sunday Times has disputed Rupert Murdoch’s claim that he has never tried to influence the editorial direction of his newspapers. Appearing before the Leveson inquiry into journalistic ethics in the U.K., Harry Evans said that Murdoch had forced the British press into a “Faustian bargain” by […]

WILL SENATE COMMITTEE LAUNCH NEWS CORP PROBE?

West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller has asked the Leveson committee, which has been investigating media ethics in the U.K. in general and those of News Corp in particular to provide him with any information it has developed about apparent improper activity by the media giant in the U.S. Rockefeller, who is chairman of the Senate […]

LAWYER SAYS MURDOCH TOLD “A SHAMEFUL LIE”

Saying that Rupert Murdoch’s reference on Thursday to a lawyer at the now defunct News of the World taking charge of a cover-up of the newspaper’s telephone hacking “can only refer to me,” Tom Crone has denounced the allegation as “a shameful lie.” Crone also came to the defense of the newspaper’s former editor, Colin […]

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