Murdoch on defense in London
Source: Agencies |
July 20, 2011, Wednesday
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RUPERT Murdoch sparred yesterday with a committee of lawmakers over the phone-hacking scandal that has rocked his global empire, reeling from tough questioning before recovering his composure and rebuffing his interrogators with flashes of his legendary toughness.
The elder Murdoch banged his hands on the table and said the day was the most humble of his life, becoming flustered when committee members peppered him with questions and turning to his son James for some answers.
He recovered later in a tense question-and-answer session with lawmakers, pushing back with firm denials of wrongdoing.
Murdoch, 80, said he was "shocked, appalled and ashamed" at the hacking of the phone of a murdered schoolgirl by his now-shuttered News of the World tabloid. He said he had seen no evidence that victims of the September 11, 2001, terror attack and their relatives were targeted by any of his papers. In the US, the FBI is probing that issue.
Murdoch said he was not responsible for the hacking scandal, and his company was not willfully blind.
He repeatedly batted away questions about operations at the News of the World by saying he wasn't really in touch with the tabloid or didn't know what was going on there.
He said he lost sight of News of the World because it is such a small part of his company and spoke to the editor of the paper only about once a month, talking more with the editor of the Sunday Times in Britain and the Wall Street Journal in the US.
James Murdoch apologized for the scandal, telling British lawmakers that "these actions do not live up to the standards our company aspires to."
He said he was surprised and shocked that his company paid the legal fees for royal reporter Clive Goodman, who was jailed in 2007 for eavesdropping on the voicemails of royal aides.
Murdoch said he didn't realize the payments had been made on behalf of the News of the World reporter. He was not certain who signed off on the payments.
The younger Murdoch said the company acted as swiftly and transparently as possible. Rupert Murdoch acknowledged, however, that he did not investigate after the Murdochs' former UK newspaper chief, Rebekah Brooks, told Parliament years ago that the News of the World had paid police officers for information.
Asked by lawmakers why there was no investigation, he said: "I didn't know of it."
Politicians also pushed for details about the Murdochs' ties to Prime Minister David Cameron and other members of the British political establishment. In a separate hearing, lawmakers questioned London police about reports that officers took bribes from journalists to provide inside information for tabloid scoops and to ask why the force decided to shut down an earlier phone hacking probe after charging only two people.
The scandal has sunk Murdoch's dream of taking full control of British Sky Broadcasting and raised questions about his ability to keep control of his global media empire.
The elder Murdoch banged his hands on the table and said the day was the most humble of his life, becoming flustered when committee members peppered him with questions and turning to his son James for some answers.
He recovered later in a tense question-and-answer session with lawmakers, pushing back with firm denials of wrongdoing.
Murdoch, 80, said he was "shocked, appalled and ashamed" at the hacking of the phone of a murdered schoolgirl by his now-shuttered News of the World tabloid. He said he had seen no evidence that victims of the September 11, 2001, terror attack and their relatives were targeted by any of his papers. In the US, the FBI is probing that issue.
Murdoch said he was not responsible for the hacking scandal, and his company was not willfully blind.
He repeatedly batted away questions about operations at the News of the World by saying he wasn't really in touch with the tabloid or didn't know what was going on there.
He said he lost sight of News of the World because it is such a small part of his company and spoke to the editor of the paper only about once a month, talking more with the editor of the Sunday Times in Britain and the Wall Street Journal in the US.
James Murdoch apologized for the scandal, telling British lawmakers that "these actions do not live up to the standards our company aspires to."
He said he was surprised and shocked that his company paid the legal fees for royal reporter Clive Goodman, who was jailed in 2007 for eavesdropping on the voicemails of royal aides.
Murdoch said he didn't realize the payments had been made on behalf of the News of the World reporter. He was not certain who signed off on the payments.
The younger Murdoch said the company acted as swiftly and transparently as possible. Rupert Murdoch acknowledged, however, that he did not investigate after the Murdochs' former UK newspaper chief, Rebekah Brooks, told Parliament years ago that the News of the World had paid police officers for information.
Asked by lawmakers why there was no investigation, he said: "I didn't know of it."
Politicians also pushed for details about the Murdochs' ties to Prime Minister David Cameron and other members of the British political establishment. In a separate hearing, lawmakers questioned London police about reports that officers took bribes from journalists to provide inside information for tabloid scoops and to ask why the force decided to shut down an earlier phone hacking probe after charging only two people.
The scandal has sunk Murdoch's dream of taking full control of British Sky Broadcasting and raised questions about his ability to keep control of his global media empire.
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