Rupert Murdoch To Testify At Another British Inquiry Over Hacking Scandal
Remember that whole News Corp phone hacking scandal that you heard about last summer, then lost interest and found something else to occupy yourself with? Well, the British government has not soon forgotten, and Rupert Murdoch is once again going to speak before an inquiry into the scandal. The inquiry began last summer, and after months of questions and new details emerging, Murdoch himself will finally speak to the government for the first time since his testimony last summer.
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Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Lord Justice Brian Leveson to head up the inquiry, and Murdoch’s testimony is expected to focus heavily on his ties to major political figures in the United Kingdom. These ties became much less reliable when the phone hacking scandal broke out last year, and politicians like Cameron that once sought Murdoch’s favor now want an incredibly thorough investigation into the matter. However, some media observers believe that Murdoch has been equally willing to hit back.
Media analyst Steven Hewlett said Murdoch had plenty of incentive to embarrass Cameron, or perhaps even Britain’s entire ruling class.
“There’s a feisty, slightly annoyed side to Rupert,” Hewlett said. With the inquiry likely to focus on whether Murdoch used his power and access to lobby for regulatory favors, Murdoch could turn the question on its head by detailing how politicians tried to lobby him for favorable coverage.
“Rupert will say: ‘It takes two to tango,’” Hewlett predicted.
Meanwhile, a media committee in Parliament will be releasing a report on May 1 that will “either… blast James Murdoch for failing to get a grip on the scandal” or go after his employees for keeping him “in the dark” about it. And the first batch of official charges in the case may end up coming out later in the month.
h/t Washington Post
