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July 25, 2011

News Corp. Executive Accused of Lying in British Parliamentary Hearing 
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News Corp. executive James Murdoch has been accused of lying to members
of British Parliament last week about how much he knew about the use of
phone hacking by journalists working at newspapers owned by his father,
Rupert Murdoch. During last week's hearing, James Murdoch said he had
been unaware in 2008 of an email that suggested such wrongdoing was more
widespread. A former editor at the News of the World and the newspaper
group's top legal officer have since challenged Murdoch's testimony.
Labour politician Tom Watson has called for a police investigation.

Tom Watson, Labour Party, Media Committee Member: "I think this is the
most significant moment in two years of the hacking scandal. If Myler
and Crone are accurate in their statement, then it shows that James
Murdoch was aware of phone hacking in 2008. Not only did he fail to act,
he failed to report the matter to the police. And because he's paid a
huge amount of money to buy the silence of Gordon Taylor, I think he's
possibly facing an investigation for conspiring to pervert the course of
justice. That's a very serious charge. I should just say that he
obviously stands by his version of events."



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