Murdoch slams police in secret recording by staff
Source: Agencies |
July 5, 2013, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
RUPERT Murdoch belittled a British police inquiry into bribes allegedly paid by his journalists in a secret recording made by his staff, in sharp contrast to the profuse public apologies he made to defuse anger at news gathering practices.
Murdoch told staff at his Sun tabloid in a private meeting in March that he was wrong to help the police investigation into tactics he said reporters had used for decades, and promised unspecified support to reporters snared by the inquiry.
A News Corp spokeswoman defended Murdoch and the firm but did not question the accuracy of the recording, which was made by a member of staff at the meeting in London and obtained by the Exaro investigation website.
Murdoch, the head of News Corp and 21st Century Fox , had described himself as humbled and appalled by the revelations of illegality and phone hacking that forced the closure of his prized News of the World tabloid two years ago.
But in the private meeting with staff, the media mogul railed against police and said he had cooperated too closely with them when an internal committee he set up supplied thousands of internal emails at the height of the scandal.
"I will do everything in my power to give you total support, even if you're convicted and get six months or whatever," he told a room full of Sun journalists, including some of the 23 who have been arrested for making payments to public officials.
"We're talking about payments for news tips from cops: that's been going on a hundred years," the media tycoon said, adding that he remembered being told about the need for cash for "powerful friends" when he bought the News of the World in 1969.
"Why are the police behaving in this way?" he said in the recording. "It's the biggest inquiry ever, over next to nothing."
When one journalist in the room said "it would be nice to hit back," Murdoch replied "We will, we will."
Murdoch said he made the wrong decision when he set up an internal committee to investigate staff and hand over information to the police, and spoke with horror at the way his former protege Rebekah Brooks was detained by officers during an early morning house raid.
Murdoch told staff at his Sun tabloid in a private meeting in March that he was wrong to help the police investigation into tactics he said reporters had used for decades, and promised unspecified support to reporters snared by the inquiry.
A News Corp spokeswoman defended Murdoch and the firm but did not question the accuracy of the recording, which was made by a member of staff at the meeting in London and obtained by the Exaro investigation website.
Murdoch, the head of News Corp and 21st Century Fox , had described himself as humbled and appalled by the revelations of illegality and phone hacking that forced the closure of his prized News of the World tabloid two years ago.
But in the private meeting with staff, the media mogul railed against police and said he had cooperated too closely with them when an internal committee he set up supplied thousands of internal emails at the height of the scandal.
"I will do everything in my power to give you total support, even if you're convicted and get six months or whatever," he told a room full of Sun journalists, including some of the 23 who have been arrested for making payments to public officials.
"We're talking about payments for news tips from cops: that's been going on a hundred years," the media tycoon said, adding that he remembered being told about the need for cash for "powerful friends" when he bought the News of the World in 1969.
"Why are the police behaving in this way?" he said in the recording. "It's the biggest inquiry ever, over next to nothing."
When one journalist in the room said "it would be nice to hit back," Murdoch replied "We will, we will."
Murdoch said he made the wrong decision when he set up an internal committee to investigate staff and hand over information to the police, and spoke with horror at the way his former protege Rebekah Brooks was detained by officers during an early morning house raid.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
