PITT AND JOLIE DRAWN INTO BRITISH HACKING SCANDAL

In what is likely to widen the British telephone hacking scandal to Hollywood, the names of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been included in the list of “23 newsworthy individuals” alleged to have been targeted by two senior reporters for the British tabloid News of the World that was shut down by Rupert Murdoch […]

MURDOCH’S TOP LIEUTENANTS FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES

The telephone-hacking scandal involving Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers in the U.K. escalated to new heights today (Tuesday) as Andy Coulson, Prime Minister David Cameron’s former spokesman, and Rebekah Brooks, the former head of News International, were notified that they would be charged with conspiracy to intercept communications. Prosecutors said that the alleged crimes were committed between […]

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 […]

BOOK: NEWS CORP TRIED TO INTIMIDATE U.K. LAWMAKERS

After a parliamentary committee began investigating allegations of telephone hacking at the now-defunct News of the World in 2010, the then-editor of the paper, Colin Myler, instructed its reporters to “find out everything you can about every single member,” Labor MP Tom Watson told a news conference in London’today (Thursday). Watson, who spearheaded the investigation […]

EX-NEWS OF THE WORLD REPORTER WRITES BLOG ITEM, IS ARRESTED

Neville Thurlbeck, the former chief reporter for the News of the World, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of intimidating a witness. While the witness was not identified by police, he is believed to be Will Lewis, who heads an internal committee set up by News Corp to ferret out and turn over to authorities possibly […]

COULD U.K. POLICE PROBE OF NEWS CORP BE TAINTED?

Britain’s attorney general, Dominic Grieve, who serves as the chief legal adviser to the government, is examining the damning testimony by the head of Scotland Yard’s investigation into alleged telephone hacking and bribery by News International journalists after receiving “at least one complaint” that her remarks were potentially in contempt of court. Sue Akers, the […]

FIRED NEWS OF THE WORLD EDITOR COMES CLEAN

A central figure in the News of the World telephone hacking scandal has acknowledged that Rupert Murdoch, his son James, and former News International CEO Rebekah Brooks were kept in the dark about the hacking and that his own efforts to bring the matter to the attention of Brooks was thwarted by an unnamed superior. […]

REPORTER ARRESTED IN HACKER SCANDAL SAYS HE WAS A WHISTLEBLOWER

The former chief reporter at the now-defunct News of the World is taking his former employers to an “employment tribunal,” claiming that he was wrongfully fired because he became a whistleblower. Neville Thurlbeck, whose byline appeared on numerous articles in the tabloid, was fired by News International, the News Corp group that oversees Rupert Murdoch’s […]

FORMER TABLOID EXECS CONTRADICT JAMES MURDOCH

James Murdoch’s assertion on Tuesday that he now wanted News International to be “transparent” in relation to the News of the World voicemail-hacking scandal was called into question on Thursday when two former executives with the now-shuttered tabloid contradicted Murdoch’s testimony, Murdoch maintained in his testimony that he was not aware of an email intended […]