Les Hinton, Rupert Murdoch’s lifelong lieutenant and closest adviser, faces questions over whether he saw a 2007 internal News International report, which found evidence that phone hacking was more widespread than admitted by the company, before he testified to a parliamentary committee that the practice was limited to a single reporter.News of the existence of the 2007 report – the conclusions of which were kept hidden from the public, MPs and police – came as Mr. Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corporation, arrived in Britain to deal directly with the rapidly developing crisis.
The collection of memos that formed the inquiry were sent to the London’s Metropolitan Police earlier this year. This step came after executives who had recently joined News International, News Corp.’s British subsidiary, discovered its existence and sent it to the police team investigating News of the World phone hacking.
Despite the alleged conclusions of the memos, News International executives repeatedly went on the record to say hacking was confined to a single “rogue reporter” – and they gave evidence to Parliament that that was the case.
Mr. Hinton, who at the time ran News International, spoke to the British House of Commons culture committee on March 6, 2007. He was asked whether the News of the World had “carried out a full, rigorous internal inquiry” into phone hacking and whether he was “absolutely convinced” the practice was limited to a single reporter.
The investigation began after Clive Goodman, the News of the World’s former royal editor, and Glenn Mulcaire, its £100,000-a-year private investigator, were jailed for hacking into phones belonging to aides of Prince William and Prince Harry.
The scandal continues to grip Westminster and Scotland Yard. The British government was scrambling to find a way Sunday to postpone a decision on allowing Murdoch full ownership of satellite broadcaster BSkyB without exposing it to a multimillion-pound judicial review, in order to head off an attempt by the opposition Labour party and the Liberal Democrats – U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition partner – to force a vote in the British House of Commons.
Labour is threatening to table a motion on Wednesday calling for a delay in the BSkyB deal until after the police inquiries are completed if Mr. Cameron does not take action. Ed Miliband, the Labour Leader, told the BBC: “I say this to the Prime Minister candidly. Over the next 72 hours I hope he changes his position on this because I don’t want to force this to a vote in the House of Commons.
“But I think he’s got to understand that when the public have seen the disgusting revelations that we’ve seen this week the idea that this organization which engaged in these terrible practices should be allowed to get that 100 per cent stake without the criminal investigation being completed and on the basis of assurances from that self-same organization, I’m afraid that won’t wash with the public.“
The political developments came as Mr. Murdoch touched down in London on Sunday to take charge of his media empire's phone-hacking crisis as his best-selling Sunday tabloid, the News of the World, published its last edition.
The 80-year-old News Corp. CEO was seen reading the paper's last issue in a red Range Rover as he was driven to the east London offices of News International. Later, at his London apartment, he met with News International's chief executive, Rebekah Brooks, who led News of the World when its reporters committed some of the most egregious ethical lapses.
Mr. Murdoch has publicly backed Ms. Brooks, who insists she had no knowledge of wrongdoing. He put his hand on her shoulder as they left the residence about an hour after she arrived. They smiled for the pack of photographers and camera crews gathered outside before walking to a nearby hotel for a meal.
In its last edition Sunday, the paper issued a full-page apology.
“We praised high standards, we demanded high standards but, as we are now only too painfully aware, for a period of a few years up to 2006 some who worked for us, or in our name, fell shamefully short of those standards,” the editorial read. “Quite simply, we lost our way.”
Some of the 200 journalists being laid off from News of the World appeared to sneak in their own message to Ms. Brooks, who kept her job.
Clues in one crossword puzzle included “Brook,” “stink,” “catastrophe” and “criminal enterprise.” A second crossword contained the hints “string of recordings” and what many interpreted to be a direct jab at Ms. Brooks: “Woman stares wildly at calamity.”
The answer to that clue? “Disaster.”
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