Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 16 Oct - 7:43
Exclusive:
Cameron, Brooks and the emails kept from Leveson
Prime Minister took legal advice on withholding dozens of 'embarrassing' messages from judicial inquiry
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Private emails between David Cameron and the former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks have been withheld from the Leveson Inquiry after the Prime Minister sought personal legal advice, The Independent can reveal.
The cache of documents, which runs to dozens of emails and is also thought to include messages sent to Andy Coulson while he was still a Rupert Murdoch employee, was not disclosed after No 10 was advised by a Government lawyer that it was not “relevant” to the inquiry into press standards.
The contents of the private emails are described by sources as containing “embarrassing” exchanges. They hold the potential to cast further light on the close personal relationship between the Prime Minister and two of the media mogul’s most senior lieutenants.
However Mr Cameron, as part of legal briefings he received before and after his appearance before the inquiry, was said to have been advised that the Brooks-Coulson emails were outside Sir Brian Leveson’s remit and so he did not need to offer them up to form part of his report, expected to be published next month.
Although the Leveson Inquiry agreed to keep private a number of text messages between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks – disclosed by News International – after accepting that they were “irrelevant to its terms of reference”, no agreement was made for any emails or texts originating from Downing Street.
Sources within the inquiry have indicated that while documents detailing Mr Cameron’s meetings with media figures were received from No 10, it had received none of the Brooks-Cameron emails. An inquiry source confirmed: “Everything we got from No 10 we published.”
During his evidence to the inquiry in June, Mr Cameron said his officials would continue to search for emails related to News Corps’ controversial bid for control of BSkyB. He promised: “If any are found, I will make them available to the inquiry.” Leveson sources said that No 10 had not subsequently told the inquiry it had turned up anything.
Downing Street told The Independent last night that “no further relevant material had been found” following the PM’s appearance. Downing Street made no comment on who made the decision on what was deemed “relevant” and what was not. A spokeswoman said: “In common with previous Prime Ministers, the PM sought legal advice in order to co-operate fully with a judicial inquiry.”
The disclosure of the existence of the emails may be embarrassing for Mr Cameron, who personally ordered the Leveson Inquiry in the wake of the News of the World phone hacking scandal.
A senior Labour MP last night called for the dossier to be released, saying it was vital for the Prime Minister to have given full disclosure.
Chris Bryant, a victim of hacking who has been one of the leading campaigners on the issue, said: “If the Prime Minister has taken any steps to prevent any material, relevant or not – whether texts, emails or notes of conversations, between David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson and News International – from coming into the public domain, then people will think this is yet another instance of the Prime Minister being less than straightforward with the country.”
Mr Bryant, a shadow Home Office spokesman, said it should not be up to a lawyer inside Downing Street to decide whether a text or email was relevant to the Leveson Inquiry: “The PM must make sure that every single communication that passed between himself and Brooks and Coulson is made available to the inquiry, and more important, to the public.”
The relationship between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks, who is awaiting trial on charges she denies of conspiring to hack phones and conspiring to pervert the course justice, and Mr Coulson, who became the Conservative leader’s media chief in 2007, was closely scrutinised by the inquiry.
The former editor of The Sun and the NOTW was asked by the inquiry’s counsel, Robert Jay QC, about the frequency of contact between herself and Mr Cameron when she was News international’s chief executive. She said they texted each other sometimes twice a week, occasionally signing off using the acronym LOL, which Mr Cameron stopped using when told it stood for “laugh out loud” and not “lots of love”. Mrs Brooks did not mention email exchanges.
News International provided the inquiry with text messages between Mrs Brooks and Mr Cameron over three months between 2009 and 2011 which had been retrieved from her phone.
During Mr Cameron’s evidence to the inquiry in June, its lawyer Robert Jay QC said it had been decided that all but one of the text messages was “irrelevant” to Lord Justice Leveson’s terms of reference.
In the disclosed message, sent in October 2009, Mrs Brooks wished the then Leader of the Opposition good luck with his conference speech, adding that “professionally we’re definitely in this together”.
News International provided texts to the inquiry following a request under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act, which was used to compel witnesses to provide evidence.
No politician who gave evidence to Leveson did so under section 21 rules.
A spokesman for the Leveson Inquiry said: “We haven’t given a running commentary on the background to evidence and we will not do so now.”
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 16 Oct - 8:47
Rupert Murdoch’s Future Rests on News Corp. Shareholders Meeting
Oct 15, 2012 7:50 PM EDT
The embattled mogul could be voted out Tuesday at News Corp.’s annual shareholders meeting in Los Angeles, and his attempts to stifle rebellion appear ruined by more bad news. Peter Jukes on the damning new reports.
After a weekend during which Rupert Murdoch seemed to push back against the phone-hacking scandal that closed his oldest paper, News of the World, and scuppered his biggest-ever media bid for BSkyB, two new revelations on Monday seem to embroil the embattled media mogul further.
Lord Justice Brian Leveson is due to make his report to the prime minister on press ethics in a month’s time, and there has been a vociferous campaign in the U.K. press to question his findings in advance, especially if they put regulation of the press under any statutory obligation.
On Saturday, Murdoch joined in the fierce debate, tweeting that the members of the Hacked Off campaign, representing phone-hacking victims, who had lobbied Prime Minister David Cameron during the Conservative Party conference, were “scumbag celebrities.”
The actor Hugh Grant is one of the more vocal campaigners for Hacked Off, and he was at the meeting with the prime minister. But so too was a former police officer, Jaqui Hames, and the singer Charlotte Church. Hacked Off also has the support of the family of Milly Dowler, the 13-year-old murder victim whose phone was hacked by News of the World. Both Hames and Church took to Twitter to remonstrate with the media mogul, demanding an apology. The American actor Alec Baldwin replied, in response to a request for comment from The Daily Beast, that the statement raised questions about Murdoch’s “fitness to run an international media company.”
Baldwin’s comment was particularly barbed, as the annual general meeting of News Corp. shareholders takes place on Tuesday in Los Angeles. A parliamentary report into phone hacking in May also dubbed Murdoch “not fit” to run an international corporation.
Last year, the independent shareholders voted by large majorities to exclude his two sons, Lachlan and James, from the board. Because of the varying voting rights of different shares, the Murdoch family could ignore the demands of the independent shareholders. But now some large shareholders have declared they intend to vote against Rupert Murdoch as chairman, including the CalPERS pension fund and fund managers Hermes and Legal & General.
Josh Reynolds / AP Photo
As both chairman and CEO of News Corp., Murdoch is in charge of a company now capitalized as the second-largest media conglomerate in the world. He also is responsible for corporate governance during the period when major News Corp. subsidiaries have been accused of phone and computer hacking, satellite-card piracy, and bribing state officials.
Two new reports have surfaced in the British press on the eve of the shareholders meeting to make it even more uncomfortable still. The Financial Times led its front page on Tuesday morning with a report that the disgraced former CEO of News International, Rebekah Brooks, who resigned during the height of the hacking scandal, received a $12 million payout when pension, salary, legal fees, and other perks are included, more than four times the sum previously disclosed. The FT alleges that she and her friend, former lieutenant, and chief government press officer Andy Coulson, have stringent “claw-back” clauses in their severance packages. Both Coulson and Brooks faces multiple charges of phone hacking and perverting the course of justice, and are due to stand trial later next year.
Meanwhile The Independent newspaper claims, on its front page Tuesday, that dozens of “embarrassing emails” among Brooks, Coulson, and Cameron were withheld from the Leveson Inquiry on advice from government lawyers because they weren’t “relevant” to the public inquiry into press ethics. Since the Leveson Inquiry has already disclosed almost weekly meetings between senior government ministers and News Corp. executives in the run-up to the hacking scandal, it’s hard to imagine what could be more embarrassing still.
Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long.
Oct 15, 2012 7:50 PM EDT
The embattled mogul could be voted out Tuesday at News Corp.’s annual shareholders meeting in Los Angeles, and his attempts to stifle rebellion appear ruined by more bad news. Peter Jukes on the damning new reports.
After a weekend during which Rupert Murdoch seemed to push back against the phone-hacking scandal that closed his oldest paper, News of the World, and scuppered his biggest-ever media bid for BSkyB, two new revelations on Monday seem to embroil the embattled media mogul further.
Lord Justice Brian Leveson is due to make his report to the prime minister on press ethics in a month’s time, and there has been a vociferous campaign in the U.K. press to question his findings in advance, especially if they put regulation of the press under any statutory obligation.
On Saturday, Murdoch joined in the fierce debate, tweeting that the members of the Hacked Off campaign, representing phone-hacking victims, who had lobbied Prime Minister David Cameron during the Conservative Party conference, were “scumbag celebrities.”
The actor Hugh Grant is one of the more vocal campaigners for Hacked Off, and he was at the meeting with the prime minister. But so too was a former police officer, Jaqui Hames, and the singer Charlotte Church. Hacked Off also has the support of the family of Milly Dowler, the 13-year-old murder victim whose phone was hacked by News of the World. Both Hames and Church took to Twitter to remonstrate with the media mogul, demanding an apology. The American actor Alec Baldwin replied, in response to a request for comment from The Daily Beast, that the statement raised questions about Murdoch’s “fitness to run an international media company.”
Baldwin’s comment was particularly barbed, as the annual general meeting of News Corp. shareholders takes place on Tuesday in Los Angeles. A parliamentary report into phone hacking in May also dubbed Murdoch “not fit” to run an international corporation.
Last year, the independent shareholders voted by large majorities to exclude his two sons, Lachlan and James, from the board. Because of the varying voting rights of different shares, the Murdoch family could ignore the demands of the independent shareholders. But now some large shareholders have declared they intend to vote against Rupert Murdoch as chairman, including the CalPERS pension fund and fund managers Hermes and Legal & General.
Josh Reynolds / AP Photo
Dozens of ‘embarrassing emails’ among Brooks, Coulson, and Cameron were withheld from the Leveson Inquiry on advice from government lawyers because they weren’t ‘relevant.’
As both chairman and CEO of News Corp., Murdoch is in charge of a company now capitalized as the second-largest media conglomerate in the world. He also is responsible for corporate governance during the period when major News Corp. subsidiaries have been accused of phone and computer hacking, satellite-card piracy, and bribing state officials.
Two new reports have surfaced in the British press on the eve of the shareholders meeting to make it even more uncomfortable still. The Financial Times led its front page on Tuesday morning with a report that the disgraced former CEO of News International, Rebekah Brooks, who resigned during the height of the hacking scandal, received a $12 million payout when pension, salary, legal fees, and other perks are included, more than four times the sum previously disclosed. The FT alleges that she and her friend, former lieutenant, and chief government press officer Andy Coulson, have stringent “claw-back” clauses in their severance packages. Both Coulson and Brooks faces multiple charges of phone hacking and perverting the course of justice, and are due to stand trial later next year.
Meanwhile The Independent newspaper claims, on its front page Tuesday, that dozens of “embarrassing emails” among Brooks, Coulson, and Cameron were withheld from the Leveson Inquiry on advice from government lawyers because they weren’t “relevant” to the public inquiry into press ethics. Since the Leveson Inquiry has already disclosed almost weekly meetings between senior government ministers and News Corp. executives in the run-up to the hacking scandal, it’s hard to imagine what could be more embarrassing still.
Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long.
Peter Jukes is an author based in London. His second nonfiction book, Fall of the House of Murdoch, which puts the current scandal against the half-century rise of News Corp., was published by Unbound earlier this year.
For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Wed 17 Oct - 0:18
Most recent
Rupert Murdoch faces down shareholders at News Corp's AGM
16 Oct 2012: Chief executive told shareholders they could take their money elsewhere if they don't like the way he runs the company
Rupert Murdoch at News Corp AGM - as it happened
16 Oct 2012:
Mogul faces pressure from shareholders seeking to break his hold over the media empire. By Dan Sabbagh and Dominic Rushe
27 comments
Phone hacking: Charlotte Church calls on Murdoch to apologise for tweets
15 Oct 2012: News Corp chairman angers phone-hacking campaigners by labelling them 'scumbag celebrities' on Twitter. By Lisa O'Carroll
Scumbags of the world, unite - you have nothing to lose but Murdoch's chains
15 Oct 2012:
Roy Greenslade believes Rupert Murdoch's intemperate tweet about hacking victims offers a glimpse of the man's real view of people
30 comments
Rupert Murdoch calls phone-hacking campaigners 'scumbag celebrities'
14 Oct 2012: News Corp chief causes outrage on Twitter with caustic dismissal of victims who lobbied David Cameron last week
Leveson set to leg it Down Under
11 Oct 2012: Media Monkey: Judge will fly to Australian media conference shortly after his report into the press is published
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9 Oct 2012:
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27 comments
Could Rupert Murdoch buy Penguin or the FT Group from Pearson?
7 Oct 2012:
Majorie Scardino's departure as chief executive leaves the way open for new boss John Fallon to restructure. By Mark Sweney
Press barons may be for good or ill, but it's the accountants you have to watch
7 Oct 2012: Peter Preston: The death of Sulzberger and departure of Scardino have sparked palpitations at the New York Times and FT 7 comments
Boris Johnson forced to disclose details of conversations with NI executives
6 Oct 2012:
London mayor under pressure to give evidence to Leveson inquiry after diary reveals string of calls and meetings
Murdochs get backing for News Corp vote
4 Oct 2012: Advisory firm ISS recommends re-election of members of Murdoch family to board despite criticisms last year
Rupert Murdoch faces shareholder revolt at News Corp annual meeting
3 Oct 2012:
Group says News Corp has not addressed board structure and corporate culture and call on Murdoch to step down as chairman
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Wed 17 Oct - 0:27
Most recent
18. Elisabeth Murdoch
16 Sep 2012:
Job: chairman, Shine Group
Age: 44
Industry: broadcasting
2011 ranking: 23
News Corp paid Elisabeth Murdoch almost $4m for running Shine
5 Sep 2012: TV production company's founder paid $1.7m basic salary and $2.125m performance bonus in year to end of June. By Mark Sweney
Elisabeth Murdoch's praise for the BBC tells of a brighter TV future
26 Aug 2012: Peter Preston: The sister's MacTaggart speech in Edinburgh was about much more than putting the brother in his place 7 comments
Sky's Stuart Murphy announces the launch of two new channels - video
Video (5min 11sec), 25 Aug 2012:
The director of Sky Entertainment channels talks to John Plunkett at the Edinburgh TV Festival
Harriet Harman: 'You wait 17 years for a woman to give the MacTaggart lecture, and it's a Murdoch' - video
Video (2min 09sec), 25 Aug 2012:
Labour party deputy leader welcomes Elisabeth Murdoch's notion that profit should be the servant not the master, but points out that the Shine chief offered no proposal for how that would happen
Media Talk podcast: Edinburgh TV festival roundup
Audio (28min 22sec), 25 Aug 2012:
John Plunkett is joined on the sofa by Dan Sabbagh, Boyd Hilton and Richard Peppiatt to look back on the industry shindig
Media Talk: Elisabeth Murdoch's 2012 MacTaggart lecture - video Video (16min 52sec), 25 Aug 2012:
John Plunkett is joined by the Guardian's Dan Sabbagh and independent producers Kenton Allen and Lorraine Heggessey to run the rule over the keynote speech
Martin Rowson on Prince Harry's naked pictures in the Sun and Murdochs – cartoon
Cartoon, 24 Aug 2012:
Tabloid claims royal's pictures published in public interest, but critics say motive was money and more sales
298 comments
Elisabeth Murdoch: the best of them but still one of them
24 Aug 2012: Elisabeth Murdoch should be applauded for her independence but, sadly, not for all of her views
Sun's Prince Harry pictures: watchdog receives hundreds of complaints
24 Aug 2012: Almost all complaints 'from members of the public', says Press Complaints Commission as naked pictures spark controversy
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Video (5min 27sec), 24 Aug 2012:
John Plunkett is joined by BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Richard Bacon and Dan Sabbagh to discuss Elisabeth Murdoch's keynote speech and how it was covered in the press
Whatever the spin, Elisabeth and James Murdoch lag in the sibling rivalry stakes
24 Aug 2012: John Crace: A proper sibling rivalry should amount to more than just a calculated slagging-off, as Noel and Liam might tell you 17 comments
Media Talk podcast: Elisabeth Murdoch takes on MacTaggart
Audio (31min 54sec), 24 Aug 2012:
On day two of the TV Festival, John Plunkett discusses the fallout from the 37th MacTaggart lecture
Elisabeth Murdoch on Prince Harry naked pictures: 'There is a public interest argument' - video
Video (2min 14sec), 24 Aug 2012:
The morning after her MacTaggart lecture, Elisabeth Murdoch is asked by Steve Hewlett to assess the Sun's decision to print the pictures of Prince Harry
Elisabeth Murdoch: James should have stepped back in phone-hacking crisis
24 Aug 2012: Rupert Murdoch's second daughter also confirms she asked for Rebekah Brooks to resign as NI chief executive last year. By Dan Sabbagh
Vicky Frost,
24 Aug 2012 12.59 BST
Delegates' reaction to Elisabeth Murdoch's MacTaggart lecture - video
Josh Strauss,
24 Aug 2012 11.05 BST
Elisabeth Murdoch attacks News Corp values and backs BBC licence fee - video
Noah Payne-Frank,
24 Aug 2012 10.19 BST
Liz Murdoch's MacTaggart lecture: a family affair
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Wed 17 Oct - 8:58
Murdoch Uses News Stake to Beat Bid for Independent Chair
By Andy Fixmer - Oct 17, 2012 5:00 AM GMT+0100
News Corp. fended off an investor proposal calling for an independent chairman only through the 40 percent voting stake controlled by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch.
Excluding family holdings, investors at the annual meeting yesterday overwhelmingly backed a proposal for an independent director as chairman, according to totals in a regulatoryfiling. Unaffiliated voters also backed a plan to eliminate a special class of voting stock held by the Murdoch family, according to filings and data compiled by Bloomberg.
Enlarge image
Murdoch Uses News Stake to Defeat Push for Independent Chair
Scott Eells/Bloomberg
The vote means management will continue to face calls for governance changes as News Corp. advances plans to split into separate publishing and entertainment companies.
The vote means management will continue to face calls for governance changes as News Corp. advances plans to split into separate publishing and entertainment companies. Photographer: Scott Eells/Bloomberg
The vote means management will continue to face calls for governance changes as News Corp. advances plans to split into separate publishing and entertainment companies. Murdoch controls his 50-year-old media company through Class B voting shares that represent less than 15 percent of the ownership.
“As they move toward a split, we plan to pressure them to align the shares accordingly,” Ian Greenwood of the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum in West Yorkshire, U.K., said in an interview. “They must move toward a more appropriate governance model.”
Dan Berger, a News Corp. (NWSA) spokesman, declined to comment on the vote.
The vote to create an independent chairman lost by a margin of 356.7 million to 156.6 million. Excluding about 276 million Murdoch votes, the proposal would have passed by almost two to one. The tally was similar on the proposal to eliminate the dual classes of stock.
Chairman’s Role
Murdoch, 81, defended his dual titles at the meeting, which was held in Los Angeles. While the positions are often separate in the U.K., he said it is standard for chairman and CEO roles to be combined in the U.S. The company will offer details about the management and board structures of the new companies by the end of the year, he said.
“We always consider what shareholders have to say,”Murdoch said. “There are plenty of U.S. media stocks to buy if you don’t like this one.”
The company elected two new directors, Álvaro Uribe, the former President of Colombia, and Elaine L. Chao, the former U.S. Secretary of Labor. The rest were re-elected. Just over 20 percent of votes cast opposed Lachlan Murdoch, 41, and Natalie Bancroft, who joined News Corp.’s board after the 2007 acquisition of Dow Jones & Co. Each would have won re-election without the Murdoch votes.
Murdoch’s family didn’t vote all of its shares. News Corp.’s foreign investors are barred from voting some stock because the company owns U.S. broadcast licenses. The family agreed to cap the votes it cast at 40 percent of the shares eligible to participate, or 276.4 million of the 696.1 million.
Investor Campaign
News Corp., based in New York, gained 1.7 percent to $24.77 yesterday in New York. The non-voting Class A stock has climbed 39 percent this year.
The company, owner of Fox Broadcasting and the Twentieth Century Fox film studio, has about 2.37 billion shares outstanding. Of those, the 798.5 million Class B shares have voting rights.
Murdoch has faced criticism over his handling of a phone-hacking scandal that erupted at the company’s U.K. newspapers. Investors had mounted a new campaign to separate the chairman and CEO roles to increase accountability.
Those efforts were also unsuccessful at last year’s meeting, where majorities of non-Murdoch votes went against Lachlan and Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch, 39.
‘Absolutely Necessary’
“This reform is absolutely necessary,” said Julie Tanner, assistant director of socially responsible investing at Christian Brothers Investment Services, which backs the split.“The lack of internal controls at the company has had real and lasting repercussions. It has resulted in shuttering a newspaper, criminal investigations, the canceled BSkyB acquisition, eroded public trust, and it has tarnished the company’s reputation.”
News Corp. is embroiled in multiple police investigations for hacking into mobile phones and computers, as well as bribing public officials. U.K. authorities also are considering whether to bring corporate charges against News Corp.’s board for the alleged crimes.
At least 60 people have been arrested since police began the probes last year. The company was forced to call off its acquisition of British Sky Broadcasting Plc. (BSY)
By Andy Fixmer - Oct 17, 2012 5:00 AM GMT+0100
News Corp. fended off an investor proposal calling for an independent chairman only through the 40 percent voting stake controlled by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch.
Excluding family holdings, investors at the annual meeting yesterday overwhelmingly backed a proposal for an independent director as chairman, according to totals in a regulatoryfiling. Unaffiliated voters also backed a plan to eliminate a special class of voting stock held by the Murdoch family, according to filings and data compiled by Bloomberg.
Enlarge image
Murdoch Uses News Stake to Defeat Push for Independent Chair
Scott Eells/Bloomberg
The vote means management will continue to face calls for governance changes as News Corp. advances plans to split into separate publishing and entertainment companies.
The vote means management will continue to face calls for governance changes as News Corp. advances plans to split into separate publishing and entertainment companies. Photographer: Scott Eells/Bloomberg
The vote means management will continue to face calls for governance changes as News Corp. advances plans to split into separate publishing and entertainment companies. Murdoch controls his 50-year-old media company through Class B voting shares that represent less than 15 percent of the ownership.
“As they move toward a split, we plan to pressure them to align the shares accordingly,” Ian Greenwood of the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum in West Yorkshire, U.K., said in an interview. “They must move toward a more appropriate governance model.”
Dan Berger, a News Corp. (NWSA) spokesman, declined to comment on the vote.
The vote to create an independent chairman lost by a margin of 356.7 million to 156.6 million. Excluding about 276 million Murdoch votes, the proposal would have passed by almost two to one. The tally was similar on the proposal to eliminate the dual classes of stock.
Chairman’s Role
Murdoch, 81, defended his dual titles at the meeting, which was held in Los Angeles. While the positions are often separate in the U.K., he said it is standard for chairman and CEO roles to be combined in the U.S. The company will offer details about the management and board structures of the new companies by the end of the year, he said.
“We always consider what shareholders have to say,”Murdoch said. “There are plenty of U.S. media stocks to buy if you don’t like this one.”
The company elected two new directors, Álvaro Uribe, the former President of Colombia, and Elaine L. Chao, the former U.S. Secretary of Labor. The rest were re-elected. Just over 20 percent of votes cast opposed Lachlan Murdoch, 41, and Natalie Bancroft, who joined News Corp.’s board after the 2007 acquisition of Dow Jones & Co. Each would have won re-election without the Murdoch votes.
Murdoch’s family didn’t vote all of its shares. News Corp.’s foreign investors are barred from voting some stock because the company owns U.S. broadcast licenses. The family agreed to cap the votes it cast at 40 percent of the shares eligible to participate, or 276.4 million of the 696.1 million.
Investor Campaign
News Corp., based in New York, gained 1.7 percent to $24.77 yesterday in New York. The non-voting Class A stock has climbed 39 percent this year.
The company, owner of Fox Broadcasting and the Twentieth Century Fox film studio, has about 2.37 billion shares outstanding. Of those, the 798.5 million Class B shares have voting rights.
Murdoch has faced criticism over his handling of a phone-hacking scandal that erupted at the company’s U.K. newspapers. Investors had mounted a new campaign to separate the chairman and CEO roles to increase accountability.
Those efforts were also unsuccessful at last year’s meeting, where majorities of non-Murdoch votes went against Lachlan and Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch, 39.
‘Absolutely Necessary’
“This reform is absolutely necessary,” said Julie Tanner, assistant director of socially responsible investing at Christian Brothers Investment Services, which backs the split.“The lack of internal controls at the company has had real and lasting repercussions. It has resulted in shuttering a newspaper, criminal investigations, the canceled BSkyB acquisition, eroded public trust, and it has tarnished the company’s reputation.”
News Corp. is embroiled in multiple police investigations for hacking into mobile phones and computers, as well as bribing public officials. U.K. authorities also are considering whether to bring corporate charges against News Corp.’s board for the alleged crimes.
At least 60 people have been arrested since police began the probes last year. The company was forced to call off its acquisition of British Sky Broadcasting Plc. (BSY)
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
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News Corp. Denies Talks for Chicago Tribune or L.A. Times
By Ben Bain and Edmund Lee - Oct 21, 2012 4:12 PM GMT+0100
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. (NWSA) denied it has held talks to acquire the Los Angeles Times or Chicago Tribune once the newspapers’ owner, Tribune Co., emerges from bankruptcy.
“Reports that News Corp. is in discussions with Tribune or the L.A. Times are wholly inaccurate,” Julie Henderson, a spokeswoman for the New York-based media company, said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. The denial encompasses reported talks with Tribune’s creditors, News Corp. said.
Enlarge image
News Corp. Denies Talks With Tribune or L.A. Times Newspaper
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Company officials have said Tribune Co. will be able to exit bankruptcy this year if federal regulators approve the reorganization plan and transfers of its radio and television licenses to proposed new owners.
Company officials have said Tribune Co. will be able to exit bankruptcy this year if federal regulators approve the reorganization plan and transfers of its radio and television licenses to proposed new owners. Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Times and Reuters reported last week that News Corp. executives were in early negotiations with Tribune’s debt holders, who include Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management. (OAKESLI) They will gain control of the Chicago-based company after court supervision ends. Reuters corrected its story, saying its source retracted the information.
Nancy Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the Times, didn’t immediately respond to phone and e-mailed requests for comment placed outside of business hours. Oaktree declined to comment.
News Corp. is preparing to separate its entertainment and publishing businesses, in part to allow the 81-year-old Murdoch to pursue publishing unencumbered. News Corp. was forced to write down its $5.2 billion 2007 acquisition of Dow Jones & Co., owner of The Wall Street Journal, and investors have gone sour on the newspaper business as the Internet eats into advertising and profits.
Future Plans
Murdoch, whose roots in newspapers date back decades, has expressed interest in the Los Angeles Times in the past. He may go shopping for distressed newspapers once News Corp.’s split becomes final next year, according to one person with knowledge of the matter, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. No News Corp. executives have reviewed any internal Tribune financial information, said a person with knowledge of the matter.
In August, some Tribune Co. creditors lost their bid to halt the newspaper chain’s plan to exit bankruptcy without first posting a $1.5 billion bond. Tribune owes creditors about $13 billion. The company is valued at more than $7 billion, Tribune said in court papers.
Company officials have said Tribune will be able to exit bankruptcy this year if federal regulators approve the reorganization plan and transfers of its radio and television licenses to proposed new owners.
News Corp., founded by Murdoch, also owns Fox Broadcasting and the Twentieth Century Fox film studio. It publishes about 146 newspapers in Australia, including The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, according to its annual report.
In the U.K., the company is embroiled in multiple police investigations for hacking into mobile phones and computers by some of its reporters, as well as the bribing of public officials. U.K. authorities also are considering whether to bring corporate charges against News Corp.’s board for the alleged crimes, the Guardian reported on July 31.
News Corp. shares fell 2 percent to $24.91 in New York trading on Oct. 19. The Class A shares have gained 40 percent this year.
=========================
It is possible U.S. Regulators will block any sale because of Newscorps ongoing tribulations in the U.K and the shareholders attempt to remove Murdoch as Chairman. I can't happen as long as Murdoch owns 40 % of the shares.
By Ben Bain and Edmund Lee - Oct 21, 2012 4:12 PM GMT+0100
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. (NWSA) denied it has held talks to acquire the Los Angeles Times or Chicago Tribune once the newspapers’ owner, Tribune Co., emerges from bankruptcy.
“Reports that News Corp. is in discussions with Tribune or the L.A. Times are wholly inaccurate,” Julie Henderson, a spokeswoman for the New York-based media company, said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. The denial encompasses reported talks with Tribune’s creditors, News Corp. said.
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News Corp. Denies Talks With Tribune or L.A. Times Newspaper
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Company officials have said Tribune Co. will be able to exit bankruptcy this year if federal regulators approve the reorganization plan and transfers of its radio and television licenses to proposed new owners.
Company officials have said Tribune Co. will be able to exit bankruptcy this year if federal regulators approve the reorganization plan and transfers of its radio and television licenses to proposed new owners. Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Times and Reuters reported last week that News Corp. executives were in early negotiations with Tribune’s debt holders, who include Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management. (OAKESLI) They will gain control of the Chicago-based company after court supervision ends. Reuters corrected its story, saying its source retracted the information.
Nancy Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the Times, didn’t immediately respond to phone and e-mailed requests for comment placed outside of business hours. Oaktree declined to comment.
News Corp. is preparing to separate its entertainment and publishing businesses, in part to allow the 81-year-old Murdoch to pursue publishing unencumbered. News Corp. was forced to write down its $5.2 billion 2007 acquisition of Dow Jones & Co., owner of The Wall Street Journal, and investors have gone sour on the newspaper business as the Internet eats into advertising and profits.
Future Plans
Murdoch, whose roots in newspapers date back decades, has expressed interest in the Los Angeles Times in the past. He may go shopping for distressed newspapers once News Corp.’s split becomes final next year, according to one person with knowledge of the matter, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. No News Corp. executives have reviewed any internal Tribune financial information, said a person with knowledge of the matter.
In August, some Tribune Co. creditors lost their bid to halt the newspaper chain’s plan to exit bankruptcy without first posting a $1.5 billion bond. Tribune owes creditors about $13 billion. The company is valued at more than $7 billion, Tribune said in court papers.
Company officials have said Tribune will be able to exit bankruptcy this year if federal regulators approve the reorganization plan and transfers of its radio and television licenses to proposed new owners.
News Corp., founded by Murdoch, also owns Fox Broadcasting and the Twentieth Century Fox film studio. It publishes about 146 newspapers in Australia, including The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, according to its annual report.
In the U.K., the company is embroiled in multiple police investigations for hacking into mobile phones and computers by some of its reporters, as well as the bribing of public officials. U.K. authorities also are considering whether to bring corporate charges against News Corp.’s board for the alleged crimes, the Guardian reported on July 31.
News Corp. shares fell 2 percent to $24.91 in New York trading on Oct. 19. The Class A shares have gained 40 percent this year.
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It is possible U.S. Regulators will block any sale because of Newscorps ongoing tribulations in the U.K and the shareholders attempt to remove Murdoch as Chairman. I can't happen as long as Murdoch owns 40 % of the shares.
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Sun 28 Oct - 10:10
Telegraph.co.uk
Sunday 28 October 2012
News Corporation boss Rupert Murdoch has foregone part of his annual bonus in the wake of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal – but still been handed a pay packet topping $30m.
Rupert Murdoch's cash bonus and stock awards were reduced by 16pc and 59pc to $8.1m and $3.51m respectively. Photo: PA
By Alistair Osborne, Business Editor
9:56PM BST 05 Sep 2012
22 Comments The 81-year old News Corp chairman and chief executive is one of four directors, including his son James, who was forced to take a cut to their cash bonuses in the latest financial year.
A News Corp proxy filing ahead of the company’s AGM on Oct 16, said the Compensation Committee had “determined to award only half of the qualitative portion of the annual bonus” in light of the scandal that has so far cost the company $224m and its bid for the whole of BSkyB.
The committee said “management should share responsibility for the impact of these matters”, including the closure of the paper, litigation and civil settlements, which detracted from an otherwise “strong performance” for the year to June 30 2012.
The “qualitative” portion of the bonus is only a third of the total, however, meaning Rupert Murdoch still earned an annual bonus of almost $10.5m, down from $12.5m, the previous year, with his total pay falling from $33.3m to just over $30m.
James Murdoch, the deputy chief operating officer who was in charge of the European newspapers at the time of the affair, was awarded an annual bonus of $5m, with his total pay dropping from $17.9m to $16.8m. He waived last year’s $6m bonus because of the scandal.
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Thu 1 Nov - 23:00
Deal announced between Penguin books and Random House owners to create merged mega-publisher
By Harry Glass
PUBLISHED:22:16, 28 October 2012| UPDATED:14:49, 29 October 2012
Worried look: But Penguin owner Pearson will have a 47% stake in the new publisher
A mammoth publishing house will be created with the announcement that Penguin and Random House are to merge in a deal between their respective owners Pearson and German media group Bertelsmann.
With an estimated one quarter share of the market for English language book sales, the new venture - called Penguin Random House - will generate annual revenues in the region of £2.5billion.
Pearson, which also publishes the Financial Times, will have a 47 per cent stake with Bertelsmann holding the rest.
The deal still requires regulatory clearance and is not expected to complete until the second half of next year.
There is also the possibility that a rival party may derail the partnership, with Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation - which already owns HarperCollins - reportedly interested in making a £1billion offer for the British publisher.
Unveiling today's deal, the two companies said the tie-up will deliver 'significant benefits' such as shared resources and a greater level of investment in authors and products than would be possible as standalone firms.
The combined company would be home to writers as diverse as Random House's Jack Reacher creator Lee Child and Fifty Shades of Grey's EL James and Penguin's long list of classical authors such as Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
Read all about it: With its 77-year history, Penguin is one of the most recognisable brands in the world
London-based Penguin employs 5,500 people worldwide, with around 950 in the UK. Random House has 5,300 staff globally and last year its sales accounted for just under 15 per cent of the UK market, compared with Penguin's 11 per cent.
The other publishers in the 'big six' are Hachette, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan.
Their power to set prices has been eroded by the boom in digital sales and the rise of Amazon which reportedly controls an estimated two-thirds of American print and ebook sales.
Reader favourites: Fifty Shades of Grey has been a massive hit for Random House, while Penguin has a huge stable of stone-wall classics
Pearson's chief executive Dame Marjorie Scardino described Penguin as a 'successful, highly-respected and much-loved part' of the company and said Random House was an almost perfect match in terms of Penguin's culture, standards and commitment to publishing excellence.
She said the two publishers will be able to be more successful in the burgeoning ebooks market too.
'Together, the two publishers will be able to share a large part of their costs, to invest more for their author and reader constituencies and to be more adventurous in trying new models in this exciting, fast-moving world of digital books and digital readers.'
Pearson said no decisions over the integration process and the likely impact on jobs have been taken.
It also released a trading statement in which it said Penguin sales were down 1 per cent for the first nine months of the year, despite a 35 per cent rise in ebook revenues for the third quarter. Key titles included Mark Owen's No Easy Day, Ken Follett's Winter of the World and Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals. Its publishing schedule for the Christmas quarter includes best-selling authors Patricia Cornwell, Tom Clancy and Nora Roberts.
The company reiterated its previous guidance on full-year profits and sales and said it was confident of maintaining the third quarter trading momentum, despite the tough market conditions.
The seemingly inexorably rise of ebooks and e-readers is clearly shaking up the industry, and observers have predicted such consolidation to match the growing power of sites such as Amazon.
Bertelsmann will have five directors on the board of the joint venture, with Pearson able to nominate four.
John Makinson, currently chairman and chief executive of Penguin, will be chairman, with Random House chief executive Markus Dohle taking the same role in the combined company.
Rupert Murdoch is thought to have bid £1billion to add Penguin to his media empire, hoping to scupper the merger. A tie-up between Penguin and HarperCollins would have a market share of 20 per cent of English language book sales.
Classic: Bertie Wooster would be reading about the deal while sitting in bed with tea, toast and the morning papers brought in by his butler Jeeves
By Harry Glass
PUBLISHED:22:16, 28 October 2012| UPDATED:14:49, 29 October 2012
Worried look: But Penguin owner Pearson will have a 47% stake in the new publisher
A mammoth publishing house will be created with the announcement that Penguin and Random House are to merge in a deal between their respective owners Pearson and German media group Bertelsmann.
With an estimated one quarter share of the market for English language book sales, the new venture - called Penguin Random House - will generate annual revenues in the region of £2.5billion.
Pearson, which also publishes the Financial Times, will have a 47 per cent stake with Bertelsmann holding the rest.
The deal still requires regulatory clearance and is not expected to complete until the second half of next year.
There is also the possibility that a rival party may derail the partnership, with Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation - which already owns HarperCollins - reportedly interested in making a £1billion offer for the British publisher.
Unveiling today's deal, the two companies said the tie-up will deliver 'significant benefits' such as shared resources and a greater level of investment in authors and products than would be possible as standalone firms.
The combined company would be home to writers as diverse as Random House's Jack Reacher creator Lee Child and Fifty Shades of Grey's EL James and Penguin's long list of classical authors such as Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
Read all about it: With its 77-year history, Penguin is one of the most recognisable brands in the world
London-based Penguin employs 5,500 people worldwide, with around 950 in the UK. Random House has 5,300 staff globally and last year its sales accounted for just under 15 per cent of the UK market, compared with Penguin's 11 per cent.
This is a new chapter in the 77-year history of Penguin, one of the most recognisable brands in the world, having been set up by Allen Lane in 1935.
More...
The other publishers in the 'big six' are Hachette, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan.
Their power to set prices has been eroded by the boom in digital sales and the rise of Amazon which reportedly controls an estimated two-thirds of American print and ebook sales.
Reader favourites: Fifty Shades of Grey has been a massive hit for Random House, while Penguin has a huge stable of stone-wall classics
Pearson's chief executive Dame Marjorie Scardino described Penguin as a 'successful, highly-respected and much-loved part' of the company and said Random House was an almost perfect match in terms of Penguin's culture, standards and commitment to publishing excellence.
She said the two publishers will be able to be more successful in the burgeoning ebooks market too.
'Together, the two publishers will be able to share a large part of their costs, to invest more for their author and reader constituencies and to be more adventurous in trying new models in this exciting, fast-moving world of digital books and digital readers.'
Pearson said no decisions over the integration process and the likely impact on jobs have been taken.
It also released a trading statement in which it said Penguin sales were down 1 per cent for the first nine months of the year, despite a 35 per cent rise in ebook revenues for the third quarter. Key titles included Mark Owen's No Easy Day, Ken Follett's Winter of the World and Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals. Its publishing schedule for the Christmas quarter includes best-selling authors Patricia Cornwell, Tom Clancy and Nora Roberts.
The company reiterated its previous guidance on full-year profits and sales and said it was confident of maintaining the third quarter trading momentum, despite the tough market conditions.
The seemingly inexorably rise of ebooks and e-readers is clearly shaking up the industry, and observers have predicted such consolidation to match the growing power of sites such as Amazon.
Bertelsmann will have five directors on the board of the joint venture, with Pearson able to nominate four.
John Makinson, currently chairman and chief executive of Penguin, will be chairman, with Random House chief executive Markus Dohle taking the same role in the combined company.
Rupert Murdoch is thought to have bid £1billion to add Penguin to his media empire, hoping to scupper the merger. A tie-up between Penguin and HarperCollins would have a market share of 20 per cent of English language book sales.
Classic: Bertie Wooster would be reading about the deal while sitting in bed with tea, toast and the morning papers brought in by his butler Jeeves
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Thu 1 Nov - 23:07
BSkyB investors advised to axe james Murdoch
By Jon Rees
PUBLISHED:14:38, 28 October 2012| UPDATED:14:39, 28 October 2012
Battle: James Murdoch faces a fight to stay on the BSkyB board.
James Murdoch faces a fight to retain his place on the board of pay-TV firm BSkyB this week, with shareholders being advised to vote him off.
Murdoch and the other BSkyB directors will face the vote at the company’s annual meeting on Thursday.
Shareholder advisory group Pirc, which guides the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum, whose members have assets of more than £115 billion, has urged investors to vote against Murdoch’s re-election and that of other directors linked News Corporation, BSkyB’s key shareholder.
However, News Corporation holds a 39 per cent stake in BSkyB, which means that a vote against the directors’ re-election is likely to fail, though a vote that garners more than half of the votes of independent shareholders against them will be seen as symbolically powerful.
Murdoch is not regarded as independent by Pirc, nor are other directors linked to News Corp, including Tom Mockridge, the chief executive of News Corp’s News International, which publishes The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times,
Pirc also highlights media regulator Ofcom’s finding in its investigation of BSkyB to see if it was ‘fit and proper’, when it said there were questions over ‘Murdoch’s competence…and his attitude towards the possibility of wrong-doing’ in his companies.
In the three months to the end of September, BSkyB is expected to have added just 20,000 net new subscribers to its pay-TV service, about the same as the same period last year. However, it is expected to have added a further 525,000 customers for its phone and broadband services, though this is down from 631,000 in the three months to the end of June.
Pirc is also advising shareholders to vote against BSkyB’s remuneration report, noting that though chief executive Jeremy Darroch did not see his basic pay increase in the year to the end of June, he was given an award of shares worth 819 per cent of his base salary. His total pay was more than £7 million.
MOST READ NEWS
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/markets/article-2224373/BSkyB-investors-advised-axe-James-Murdoch.html#ixzz2B0kmgKvW
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
By Jon Rees
PUBLISHED:14:38, 28 October 2012| UPDATED:14:39, 28 October 2012
Battle: James Murdoch faces a fight to stay on the BSkyB board.
James Murdoch faces a fight to retain his place on the board of pay-TV firm BSkyB this week, with shareholders being advised to vote him off.
Murdoch and the other BSkyB directors will face the vote at the company’s annual meeting on Thursday.
Shareholder advisory group Pirc, which guides the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum, whose members have assets of more than £115 billion, has urged investors to vote against Murdoch’s re-election and that of other directors linked News Corporation, BSkyB’s key shareholder.
However, News Corporation holds a 39 per cent stake in BSkyB, which means that a vote against the directors’ re-election is likely to fail, though a vote that garners more than half of the votes of independent shareholders against them will be seen as symbolically powerful.
Murdoch is not regarded as independent by Pirc, nor are other directors linked to News Corp, including Tom Mockridge, the chief executive of News Corp’s News International, which publishes The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times,
Pirc also highlights media regulator Ofcom’s finding in its investigation of BSkyB to see if it was ‘fit and proper’, when it said there were questions over ‘Murdoch’s competence…and his attitude towards the possibility of wrong-doing’ in his companies.
More...
In the three months to the end of September, BSkyB is expected to have added just 20,000 net new subscribers to its pay-TV service, about the same as the same period last year. However, it is expected to have added a further 525,000 customers for its phone and broadband services, though this is down from 631,000 in the three months to the end of June.
Pirc is also advising shareholders to vote against BSkyB’s remuneration report, noting that though chief executive Jeremy Darroch did not see his basic pay increase in the year to the end of June, he was given an award of shares worth 819 per cent of his base salary. His total pay was more than £7 million.
MOST READ NEWS
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/markets/article-2224373/BSkyB-investors-advised-axe-James-Murdoch.html#ixzz2B0kmgKvW
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Sun 4 Nov - 6:12
David Cameron faces new embarrassment over text messages
David Cameron faces further embarrassment over his friendship with the former newspaper editor Rebekah Brooks with the disclosure of more text messages between the pair.
David Cameron has been friends with Mrs Brooks’ husband Charlie since the pair studied at Eton College. They also own houses near one another in Oxfordshire. Photo: REX
By Robert Watts, Deputy Political Editor
11:05PM GMT 03 Nov 2012
101 Comments
In one text the Prime Minister thanked the former ex-News International chief effusively for letting him ride one of her family’s horses. Mr Cameron’s message wrote that the outing was “fast, unpredictable and hard to control but fun.”
The message, along with a second text from Mrs Brooks, was obtained by The Mail on Sunday newspaper.
The message from Mrs Brooks praised the Conservative leader’s conference speech. “I cried twice,” she wrote. “Will love working together.”
Downing Street said the texts were submitted to Lord Leveson’s inquiry into phone hacking, but only a small number of messages have been made public by the peer so far.
These two texts were sent in October 2009, shortly after Mrs Brooks was promoted from editor of The Sun to chief executive of News International. It is thought they were supplied to the inquiry by Mrs Brooks.
Related Articles
Lord Leveson asked Mr Cameron, Mrs Brooks and Andy Coulson, his former communications chief who previously edited the News of the World, to send a large amount of e-mails and text messages to his inquiry. So far only a small proportion of this correspondence has been made public.
David Cameron has been friends with Mrs Brooks’ husband Charlie since the pair studied at Eton College. They also own houses near one another in Oxfordshire.
Labour MP Chris Bryant has repeatedly made great play of the text messages between the Tory leader and Mrs Brooks during Prime Minister’s Question Time in the House of Commons.
Mr Bryant attacked the Prime Minister for failing to make all the text message between the pair public because they were “too salacious and embarrassing for you”.
“When the truth comes out, you won’t be smiling,” the Labour MP chided the Prime Minister last month.
The Labour MP, who was a victim of phone hacking, has claimed he has a “mole” from Downing Street who told Mr Bryant that some of the messages between the pair were “salacious”.
These are not the first text messages between the former newspaper executive and Mr Cameron to be made public. Mrs Brooks sent one message to the Tory leader shortly before a party conference speech that read: “Speech of your life? Yes he Cam.”
In another she wrote: “I am so rooting for you tomorrow and not just as a friend but because professionally we’re definitely in this together.”
Mr Cameron admitted earlier in the year that he had ridden a retired Metropolitan Police horse called Raisa while it was being lent to Mrs Brooks. The horse referred to in the newly-disclosed message appears to be a different horse, as Raisa was 22-years-old when the former newspaper editor borrowed her.
These newly-published messages are almost certain to put the Prime Minister under further pressure to publish all correspondence between himself and Mrs Brooks.
A spokesman for Downing Street said that the Prime Minister has been “happy” to comply with whatever Lord Leveson has asked of him.
David Cameron faces further embarrassment over his friendship with the former newspaper editor Rebekah Brooks with the disclosure of more text messages between the pair.
David Cameron has been friends with Mrs Brooks’ husband Charlie since the pair studied at Eton College. They also own houses near one another in Oxfordshire. Photo: REX
By Robert Watts, Deputy Political Editor
11:05PM GMT 03 Nov 2012
101 Comments In one text the Prime Minister thanked the former ex-News International chief effusively for letting him ride one of her family’s horses. Mr Cameron’s message wrote that the outing was “fast, unpredictable and hard to control but fun.”
The message, along with a second text from Mrs Brooks, was obtained by The Mail on Sunday newspaper.
The message from Mrs Brooks praised the Conservative leader’s conference speech. “I cried twice,” she wrote. “Will love working together.”
Downing Street said the texts were submitted to Lord Leveson’s inquiry into phone hacking, but only a small number of messages have been made public by the peer so far.
These two texts were sent in October 2009, shortly after Mrs Brooks was promoted from editor of The Sun to chief executive of News International. It is thought they were supplied to the inquiry by Mrs Brooks.
Related Articles
David Cameron 'must reveal private email exchanges with Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson'
16 Oct 2012
Chipping Norton set comes back to haunt Cameron
01 Jul 2012
Cameron and Brooks 'had two undisclosed meetings'
09 May 2012
Brooks told Cameron: We're in this together
14 Jun 2012
Lord Leveson asked Mr Cameron, Mrs Brooks and Andy Coulson, his former communications chief who previously edited the News of the World, to send a large amount of e-mails and text messages to his inquiry. So far only a small proportion of this correspondence has been made public.
David Cameron has been friends with Mrs Brooks’ husband Charlie since the pair studied at Eton College. They also own houses near one another in Oxfordshire.
Labour MP Chris Bryant has repeatedly made great play of the text messages between the Tory leader and Mrs Brooks during Prime Minister’s Question Time in the House of Commons.
Mr Bryant attacked the Prime Minister for failing to make all the text message between the pair public because they were “too salacious and embarrassing for you”.
“When the truth comes out, you won’t be smiling,” the Labour MP chided the Prime Minister last month.
The Labour MP, who was a victim of phone hacking, has claimed he has a “mole” from Downing Street who told Mr Bryant that some of the messages between the pair were “salacious”.
These are not the first text messages between the former newspaper executive and Mr Cameron to be made public. Mrs Brooks sent one message to the Tory leader shortly before a party conference speech that read: “Speech of your life? Yes he Cam.”
In another she wrote: “I am so rooting for you tomorrow and not just as a friend but because professionally we’re definitely in this together.”
Mr Cameron admitted earlier in the year that he had ridden a retired Metropolitan Police horse called Raisa while it was being lent to Mrs Brooks. The horse referred to in the newly-disclosed message appears to be a different horse, as Raisa was 22-years-old when the former newspaper editor borrowed her.
These newly-published messages are almost certain to put the Prime Minister under further pressure to publish all correspondence between himself and Mrs Brooks.
A spokesman for Downing Street said that the Prime Minister has been “happy” to comply with whatever Lord Leveson has asked of him.
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 6 Nov - 10:49
David Cameron is 'perfectly happy' for Leveson to publish texts with Rebekah Brooks
Lord Justice Leveson is under pressure to publish up to 150 text messages and emails between David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks after the Prime Minister indicated he was “perfectly happy” for them to be made public.
David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks Photo: AP/GETTY
By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter
10:00PM GMT 05 Nov 2012
Copies of the correspondence between Mr Cameron and the former News International chief executive were handed to the Leveson Inquiry by NI and Mrs Brooks, but most of it has been kept secret after Lord Justice Leveson deemed it irrelevant to his inquiry into media standards.
Opposition MPs said there was now no reason why the texts and emails should not be made public, and called on both Lord Justice Leveson and Mr Cameron to publish any material in their possession.
Two text messages leaked to a Sunday newspaper showed that Mr Cameron messaged Mrs Brooks about a “fast, unpredictable ride” on her husband’s horse, and that Mrs Brooks texted Mr Cameron to say she “cried twice” during one of his speeches.
The disclosure led to accusations that the Leveson Inquiry was giving Mr Cameron special treatment and withholding the cache of messages to avoid embarrassing the Prime Minister.
But today a spokesman for Mr Cameron said it was “completely a matter for Lord Justice Leveson” what information was released to the public and that Downing Street had complied fully with his requests for information.
“Whether it comes out is not a matter for us, it is a matter for Leveson,” said the spokesman.
It is understood that Mr Cameron would be “perfectly happy” for any text messages or emails which Lord Justice Leveson believes to be relevant to his inquiry to be published.
Chris Bryant, a Labour MP who has repeatedly questioned Mr Cameron about the content of the messages, said: “Leveson should publish all the material because that was the guarantee he gave to the victims [of media intrusion] and I think the public should be able to decide whether this material is relevant or not.
“That said, I think Downing Street is being disingenuous by claiming this is all down to Leveson. I believe Mr Cameron has a stash of material which he could publish himself, and he should do so. There is still something very murky in this.”
The nature of the relationship between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks, who is now facing a criminal trial over phone-hacking at the News of the World, has been under scrutiny since Mr Cameron set up the Leveson Inquiry to investigate media ethics.
A spokesman for the Leveson Inquiry said: “Some of the text messages were referred to during Mr Cameron’s evidence to the Inquiry, but others, as Robert Jay [counsel to the Inquiry] explained at the time, were not relevant within the terms of reference of the Inquiry.
“Material which is not relevant has not been published and we have no intention of doing so.”
The spokesman added that the only text messages Lord Justice Leveson had regarded as relevant to the Inquiry were those which related to Rupert Murdoch’s attempt to buy out the satellite broadcaster BSkyB.
The proposed takeover was referred to regulators by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport before it was abandoned by Mr Murdoch following the closure of the News of the World as a result of the phone-hacking scandal.
Sources close to both Downing Street and Mrs Brooks suggested there were far fewer than 150 messages between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks, but Mr Bryant said Downing Street had repeatedly refused to give him details of how many messages there are.
A spokesman for Mrs Brooks was unavailable for comment.
Lord Justice Leveson is under pressure to publish up to 150 text messages and emails between David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks after the Prime Minister indicated he was “perfectly happy” for them to be made public.
David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks Photo: AP/GETTY
By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter
10:00PM GMT 05 Nov 2012
Copies of the correspondence between Mr Cameron and the former News International chief executive were handed to the Leveson Inquiry by NI and Mrs Brooks, but most of it has been kept secret after Lord Justice Leveson deemed it irrelevant to his inquiry into media standards.
Opposition MPs said there was now no reason why the texts and emails should not be made public, and called on both Lord Justice Leveson and Mr Cameron to publish any material in their possession.
Two text messages leaked to a Sunday newspaper showed that Mr Cameron messaged Mrs Brooks about a “fast, unpredictable ride” on her husband’s horse, and that Mrs Brooks texted Mr Cameron to say she “cried twice” during one of his speeches.
The disclosure led to accusations that the Leveson Inquiry was giving Mr Cameron special treatment and withholding the cache of messages to avoid embarrassing the Prime Minister.
But today a spokesman for Mr Cameron said it was “completely a matter for Lord Justice Leveson” what information was released to the public and that Downing Street had complied fully with his requests for information.
“Whether it comes out is not a matter for us, it is a matter for Leveson,” said the spokesman.
It is understood that Mr Cameron would be “perfectly happy” for any text messages or emails which Lord Justice Leveson believes to be relevant to his inquiry to be published.
Chris Bryant, a Labour MP who has repeatedly questioned Mr Cameron about the content of the messages, said: “Leveson should publish all the material because that was the guarantee he gave to the victims [of media intrusion] and I think the public should be able to decide whether this material is relevant or not.
“That said, I think Downing Street is being disingenuous by claiming this is all down to Leveson. I believe Mr Cameron has a stash of material which he could publish himself, and he should do so. There is still something very murky in this.”
The nature of the relationship between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks, who is now facing a criminal trial over phone-hacking at the News of the World, has been under scrutiny since Mr Cameron set up the Leveson Inquiry to investigate media ethics.
A spokesman for the Leveson Inquiry said: “Some of the text messages were referred to during Mr Cameron’s evidence to the Inquiry, but others, as Robert Jay [counsel to the Inquiry] explained at the time, were not relevant within the terms of reference of the Inquiry.
“Material which is not relevant has not been published and we have no intention of doing so.”
The spokesman added that the only text messages Lord Justice Leveson had regarded as relevant to the Inquiry were those which related to Rupert Murdoch’s attempt to buy out the satellite broadcaster BSkyB.
The proposed takeover was referred to regulators by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport before it was abandoned by Mr Murdoch following the closure of the News of the World as a result of the phone-hacking scandal.
Sources close to both Downing Street and Mrs Brooks suggested there were far fewer than 150 messages between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks, but Mr Bryant said Downing Street had repeatedly refused to give him details of how many messages there are.
A spokesman for Mrs Brooks was unavailable for comment.
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 6 Nov - 16:50
News Corp. Said to Weigh Giving James Murdoch TV Role
By Andy Fixmer and Edmund Lee - Sep 21, 2012 2:25 AM GMT+0100
News Corp. (NWSA) is considering giving Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch oversight of its U.S. television operations, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Murdoch would oversee the Fox broadcast network and cable channels including FX, said the people, who requested anonymity because the deliberations are private. Peter Rice, chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Networks Group, would report to Murdoch, the people said. A decision hasn’t been made, they said.
Enlarge image
News Corp. Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch
Peter Foley/Bloomberg
Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch has been seeking a more defined role at News Corp. after moving to New York from London and stepping down from roles heading the company’s U.K. newspapers and as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting Plc.
Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch has been seeking a more defined role at News Corp. after moving to New York from London and stepping down from roles heading the company’s U.K. newspapers and as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting Plc. Photographer: Peter Foley/Bloomberg
The 39-year-old son of Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerRupert Murdoch has been seeking a more defined role at News Corp. after moving to New York from London and stepping down from roles heading the company’s U.K. newspapers and as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting Plc. His rise in the corporation stalled amid criticism of his handling of the hacking scandal at the News of the World publication.
“It’s a way to get him back in the game without any regulatory issues,” said Brett Harriss, an analyst at Gabelli & Co. in Rye, New York, who recommends buying the stock. “He’s the heir apparent, he’s not going to be relegated to the sidelines.”
The U.S. cable and television businesses would hand Murdoch much of a portfolio that contributed 41 percent of News Corp.’s revenue in the year ended June 30, and 74 percent of operating income. The Fox News cable channel would remain under Roger Ailes, the people said.
Murdoch was promoted to deputy COO, under President and Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey, in March 2011. The company said in February that he would focus on pay-TV and international television businesses.
‘Ill-Judged’
The New York-based media company has been trying to move past the scandal. Yesterday, U.K. regulators criticized James Murdoch’s response to the hacking, which has led to arrests, resignations and a series of investigations. Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator and competition authority, said in a report that BSkyB, 39 percent owned by News Corp., could keep its broadcast license.
“We consider James Murdoch’s conduct, including his failure to initiate action on his own account on a number of occasions, to be both difficult to comprehend and ill-judged,”Ofcom said.
Murdoch resigned as chairman of News International in February, following revelations of the hacking scandal. In April, he stepped down as chairman of pay-TV company British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc (BSY), amid demands that he resign.
Company Split
News Corp. has announced several management changes since announcing in June plans to split into separate publishing and entertainment businesses. The Financial Times reported yesterday that James Murdoch may gain oversight of television.
In a statement yesterday, News Corp. defended James Murdoch, saying the Ofcom report confirmed there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
“We disagree, however, with certain of the report’s statements about James Murdoch’s prior actions as an executive and director, which are not at all substantiated by evidence,”the company said. The company said he deserves credit for his record at BSkyB during his tenure.
News Corp. competes with Bloomberg LP, owner of Bloomberg News, in providing financial news and information. The company’s Class A shares added 0.6 percent to $25.02 yesterday in New York. They have gained 40 percent this year.
“The U.S. public markets will be extremely disappointed,”said Laura Martin, an Pasadena, California-based analyst at Needham & Co. who recommends buying News Corp. shares. “If his last name wasn’t Murdoch he wouldn’t be considered for this position.”
By Andy Fixmer and Edmund Lee - Sep 21, 2012 2:25 AM GMT+0100
News Corp. (NWSA) is considering giving Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch oversight of its U.S. television operations, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Murdoch would oversee the Fox broadcast network and cable channels including FX, said the people, who requested anonymity because the deliberations are private. Peter Rice, chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Networks Group, would report to Murdoch, the people said. A decision hasn’t been made, they said.
Enlarge image
News Corp. Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch
Peter Foley/Bloomberg
Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch has been seeking a more defined role at News Corp. after moving to New York from London and stepping down from roles heading the company’s U.K. newspapers and as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting Plc.
Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch has been seeking a more defined role at News Corp. after moving to New York from London and stepping down from roles heading the company’s U.K. newspapers and as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting Plc. Photographer: Peter Foley/Bloomberg
The 39-year-old son of Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerRupert Murdoch has been seeking a more defined role at News Corp. after moving to New York from London and stepping down from roles heading the company’s U.K. newspapers and as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting Plc. His rise in the corporation stalled amid criticism of his handling of the hacking scandal at the News of the World publication.
“It’s a way to get him back in the game without any regulatory issues,” said Brett Harriss, an analyst at Gabelli & Co. in Rye, New York, who recommends buying the stock. “He’s the heir apparent, he’s not going to be relegated to the sidelines.”
The U.S. cable and television businesses would hand Murdoch much of a portfolio that contributed 41 percent of News Corp.’s revenue in the year ended June 30, and 74 percent of operating income. The Fox News cable channel would remain under Roger Ailes, the people said.
Murdoch was promoted to deputy COO, under President and Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey, in March 2011. The company said in February that he would focus on pay-TV and international television businesses.
‘Ill-Judged’
The New York-based media company has been trying to move past the scandal. Yesterday, U.K. regulators criticized James Murdoch’s response to the hacking, which has led to arrests, resignations and a series of investigations. Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator and competition authority, said in a report that BSkyB, 39 percent owned by News Corp., could keep its broadcast license.
“We consider James Murdoch’s conduct, including his failure to initiate action on his own account on a number of occasions, to be both difficult to comprehend and ill-judged,”Ofcom said.
Murdoch resigned as chairman of News International in February, following revelations of the hacking scandal. In April, he stepped down as chairman of pay-TV company British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc (BSY), amid demands that he resign.
Company Split
News Corp. has announced several management changes since announcing in June plans to split into separate publishing and entertainment businesses. The Financial Times reported yesterday that James Murdoch may gain oversight of television.
In a statement yesterday, News Corp. defended James Murdoch, saying the Ofcom report confirmed there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
“We disagree, however, with certain of the report’s statements about James Murdoch’s prior actions as an executive and director, which are not at all substantiated by evidence,”the company said. The company said he deserves credit for his record at BSkyB during his tenure.
News Corp. competes with Bloomberg LP, owner of Bloomberg News, in providing financial news and information. The company’s Class A shares added 0.6 percent to $25.02 yesterday in New York. They have gained 40 percent this year.
“The U.S. public markets will be extremely disappointed,”said Laura Martin, an Pasadena, California-based analyst at Needham & Co. who recommends buying News Corp. shares. “If his last name wasn’t Murdoch he wouldn’t be considered for this position.”
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Panda Sun 11 Nov - 13:57
I'm not the No 10 text mole! Riddle over claims that Downing Street insider linked to Prime Minister's leaked texts to Rebekah Brooks takes new turn
By Simon Walters and Glen Owen
PUBLISHED:00:32, 11 November 2012| UPDATED:02:00, 11 November 2012
The riddle over claims that a Downing Street ‘mole’ was linked to leaked ‘salacious and embarrassing’ texts by David Cameron to disgraced former newspaper boss Rebekah Brooks took a new turn last night.
A No 10 official who works for Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood has told the Prime Minister that he met Labour MP Chris Bryant, who claimed to have had contact with the ‘mole’, last month.
Tristan Pedelty, a private secretary in Downing Street, volunteered to his Whitehall bosses that he had met Mr Bryant by chance at an Oxford Union debate at the university last month.
Tristan Pedelty (far left back row) volunteered to his bosses that he had met Chris Bryant, (far right front row) by chance at Oxford University
The two men appear in a photograph of key guests at the debate, which was attended by a number of other politicians, including Attorney General Dominic Grieve.
They confirmed Mr Pedelty had spoken to Mr Bryant but said he had not given him any information.
The Mail on Sunday revealed intimate text messages between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks
‘Tristan has been completely open and came forward as soon as Bryant made his claims,’ said one official. ‘Bryant was pumping him for details at Oxford but Tristan said nothing.
'We accept his version of events. He is loyal to the Prime Minister and would never do such a thing.’
Mr Pedelty, who is in his late 20s, is a Civil Service high-flier. During the preparations for Mr Cameron’s appearance at the Leveson Inquiry, he was tasked with compiling and cross-checking lists of Mr Cameron’s thousands of meetings with journalists.
The disclosure comes a week after The Mail on Sunday revealed intimate text messages between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks.
In one, apparently referring to a ride on a horse owned by Mrs Brooks’s husband Charlie, Mr Cameron said he’d had a ‘fast, unpredictable and hard to control ride’.
Mrs Brooks told the Prime Minister she ‘cried twice’ at one of his speeches.
The revelations came after a furious Commons clash between Mr Cameron and Mr Bryant, who claimed an unnamed Downing Street ‘mole’ had told him the Prime Minister had tried to cover up ‘salacious and embarrassing’ messages to Mrs Brooks.
Mr Bryant is due to use a Commons debate on Tuesday to make a fresh demand for Mr Cameron to publish all his texts and emails to Mrs Brooks.
MOST READ NEWS
By Simon Walters and Glen Owen
PUBLISHED:00:32, 11 November 2012| UPDATED:02:00, 11 November 2012
The riddle over claims that a Downing Street ‘mole’ was linked to leaked ‘salacious and embarrassing’ texts by David Cameron to disgraced former newspaper boss Rebekah Brooks took a new turn last night.
A No 10 official who works for Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood has told the Prime Minister that he met Labour MP Chris Bryant, who claimed to have had contact with the ‘mole’, last month.
Tristan Pedelty, a private secretary in Downing Street, volunteered to his Whitehall bosses that he had met Mr Bryant by chance at an Oxford Union debate at the university last month.
Tristan Pedelty (far left back row) volunteered to his bosses that he had met Chris Bryant, (far right front row) by chance at Oxford University
The two men appear in a photograph of key guests at the debate, which was attended by a number of other politicians, including Attorney General Dominic Grieve.
Government insiders confirmed Mr Pedelty was responsible for sifting through Mr Cameron’s emails and texts in response to the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.
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They confirmed Mr Pedelty had spoken to Mr Bryant but said he had not given him any information.
The Mail on Sunday revealed intimate text messages between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks
‘Tristan has been completely open and came forward as soon as Bryant made his claims,’ said one official. ‘Bryant was pumping him for details at Oxford but Tristan said nothing.
'We accept his version of events. He is loyal to the Prime Minister and would never do such a thing.’
Mr Pedelty, who is in his late 20s, is a Civil Service high-flier. During the preparations for Mr Cameron’s appearance at the Leveson Inquiry, he was tasked with compiling and cross-checking lists of Mr Cameron’s thousands of meetings with journalists.
The disclosure comes a week after The Mail on Sunday revealed intimate text messages between Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks.
In one, apparently referring to a ride on a horse owned by Mrs Brooks’s husband Charlie, Mr Cameron said he’d had a ‘fast, unpredictable and hard to control ride’.
Mrs Brooks told the Prime Minister she ‘cried twice’ at one of his speeches.
The revelations came after a furious Commons clash between Mr Cameron and Mr Bryant, who claimed an unnamed Downing Street ‘mole’ had told him the Prime Minister had tried to cover up ‘salacious and embarrassing’ messages to Mrs Brooks.
Mr Bryant is due to use a Commons debate on Tuesday to make a fresh demand for Mr Cameron to publish all his texts and emails to Mrs Brooks.
MOST READ NEWS
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 20 Nov - 10:43
Breaking News........ Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson WILL be charged, I will see if I can find any more news.
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 20 Nov - 10:49
Brooks And Coulson Face New Charges
10:46am UK, Tuesday 20 November 2012
10:46am UK, Tuesday 20 November 2012
Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson are to be charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, following an investigation into corrupt payments to public officials.
More follows
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
chrissie Tue 20 Nov - 10:54
CPS press release here in full on charges against Andy Coulson, Rebekah Brooks, Clive Goodman and others
Alison Levitt, QC, Principal Legal Advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions, oversees CPS decision making and all potential prosecutions in relation to the ongoing phone hacking investigations and other related matters. Miss Levitt said:
“This statement is made in the interests of transparency and accountability to explain the decisions reached in respect of allegations arising from Operation Elveden into allegations of unlawful payment by News International staff to public officials.
“This announcement relates to two files of evidence received from the Metropolitan Police Service. The two files were received on 30 August 2012 and are:
A file for charging advice involving two journalists in relation to allegations of misconduct in public office.
A file for charging advice involving two journalists and two public officials in relation to allegations of misconduct in public office.
“The first of these two files relates to:
· Clive Goodman, who was the Royal Correspondent for News of the World before 2007; and
· Andy Coulson, who was the News of the World’s Deputy Editor between 2000 and 2003 and Editor between 2003 and 2007.
“We have concluded, following a careful review of the evidence, that Clive Goodman and Andy Coulson should be charged with two conspiracies. The allegations relate to the request and authorisation of payments to public officials in exchange for information, including a Palace phone directory known as the “Green Book” containing contact details for the Royal Family and Members of the Household.
“The second of these two files relates to:
· Rebekah Brooks, who was Editor of the Sun between 14 January 2003 and 1 September 2009;
· John Kay, who was Chief Reporter at the Sun between 1990 and 2011;
· Bettina Jordan Barber, employed by the Ministry of Defence; and
· one further suspect in relation to whom the investigation is still ongoing
“We have concluded, following a careful review of the evidence, that Bettina Jordan Barber, John Kay and Rebekah Brooks should be charged with a conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2012. This conspiracy relates to information allegedly provided by Bettina Jordan Barber for payment which formed the basis of a series of news stories published by The Sun. It is alleged that approximately £100,000 was paid to Bettina Jordan Barber between 2004 and 2011.
“All of these matters were considered carefully in accordance with the DPP’s guidelines on the public interest in cases affecting the media. This guidance asks prosecutors to consider whether the public interest served by the conduct in question outweighs the overall criminality before bringing criminal proceedings.
“Following charge, these individuals will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on a date to be determined.
“May I remind all concerned that these five individuals now will be charged with criminal offences and that each has a right to a fair trial. It is very important that nothing is said, or reported, which could prejudice that trial. For these reasons it would be inappropriate for me to comment further."
Alison Levitt, QC, Principal Legal Advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions, oversees CPS decision making and all potential prosecutions in relation to the ongoing phone hacking investigations and other related matters. Miss Levitt said:
“This statement is made in the interests of transparency and accountability to explain the decisions reached in respect of allegations arising from Operation Elveden into allegations of unlawful payment by News International staff to public officials.
“This announcement relates to two files of evidence received from the Metropolitan Police Service. The two files were received on 30 August 2012 and are:
A file for charging advice involving two journalists in relation to allegations of misconduct in public office.
A file for charging advice involving two journalists and two public officials in relation to allegations of misconduct in public office.
“The first of these two files relates to:
· Clive Goodman, who was the Royal Correspondent for News of the World before 2007; and
· Andy Coulson, who was the News of the World’s Deputy Editor between 2000 and 2003 and Editor between 2003 and 2007.
“We have concluded, following a careful review of the evidence, that Clive Goodman and Andy Coulson should be charged with two conspiracies. The allegations relate to the request and authorisation of payments to public officials in exchange for information, including a Palace phone directory known as the “Green Book” containing contact details for the Royal Family and Members of the Household.
“The second of these two files relates to:
· Rebekah Brooks, who was Editor of the Sun between 14 January 2003 and 1 September 2009;
· John Kay, who was Chief Reporter at the Sun between 1990 and 2011;
· Bettina Jordan Barber, employed by the Ministry of Defence; and
· one further suspect in relation to whom the investigation is still ongoing
“We have concluded, following a careful review of the evidence, that Bettina Jordan Barber, John Kay and Rebekah Brooks should be charged with a conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2012. This conspiracy relates to information allegedly provided by Bettina Jordan Barber for payment which formed the basis of a series of news stories published by The Sun. It is alleged that approximately £100,000 was paid to Bettina Jordan Barber between 2004 and 2011.
“All of these matters were considered carefully in accordance with the DPP’s guidelines on the public interest in cases affecting the media. This guidance asks prosecutors to consider whether the public interest served by the conduct in question outweighs the overall criminality before bringing criminal proceedings.
“Following charge, these individuals will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on a date to be determined.
“May I remind all concerned that these five individuals now will be charged with criminal offences and that each has a right to a fair trial. It is very important that nothing is said, or reported, which could prejudice that trial. For these reasons it would be inappropriate for me to comment further."
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 20 Nov - 11:15
Morning chrissie......Crikey, it's all happening, have a look at this.......I think this may well be Cameron's Armageddon
Cameron Dodges Question on E-Mails With News Corp. Executives
By Thomas Penny - Oct 17, 2012 1:13 PM GMT+0100
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameronrefused to say if he will submit private e-mails between him andNews Corp. (NWSA) executives to the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.
Cameron was challenged today by opposition Labour lawmakerChris Bryant, whose phone was hacked by the now-defunct News of the World newspaper, to explain why he was withholding the e-mails and text messages from the inquiry.
“I’m not going to answer any of his questions” until Bryant apologizes about previous allegations he’s made, Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Commons in London today.
Private e-mails exchanged with former News International Chief Executive Officer Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, when he was still editor of the News of the World, were withheld from the Leveson Inquiry after Cameron sought legal advice, theIndependent newspaper reported yesterday without saying where it got the information.
“All the material that the inquiry asked for was provided,” Cameron’s spokeswoman, Vickie Sheriff, told reporters yesterday. “We’ve cooperated fully with the inquiry and we look forward to its report.”
Cameron Dodges Question on E-Mails With News Corp. Executives
By Thomas Penny - Oct 17, 2012 1:13 PM GMT+0100
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameronrefused to say if he will submit private e-mails between him andNews Corp. (NWSA) executives to the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.
Cameron was challenged today by opposition Labour lawmakerChris Bryant, whose phone was hacked by the now-defunct News of the World newspaper, to explain why he was withholding the e-mails and text messages from the inquiry.
“I’m not going to answer any of his questions” until Bryant apologizes about previous allegations he’s made, Cameron told lawmakers in the House of Commons in London today.
Private e-mails exchanged with former News International Chief Executive Officer Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, when he was still editor of the News of the World, were withheld from the Leveson Inquiry after Cameron sought legal advice, theIndependent newspaper reported yesterday without saying where it got the information.
“All the material that the inquiry asked for was provided,” Cameron’s spokeswoman, Vickie Sheriff, told reporters yesterday. “We’ve cooperated fully with the inquiry and we look forward to its report.”
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 20 Nov - 11:42
Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson charged with illegally paying officials
Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International and Andy Coulson, the Prime Minister’s former director of communications, will be charged with illegally paying officials for information, the Crown Prosecution Service announced today.
(Clockwise from top left) Andy Coulson, Clive Goodman, Rebekah Brooks and John Kay Photo: AP
By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent
11:13AM GMT 20 Nov 2012
Andy Coulson, the Prime Minister’s former director of communications, has been charged with illegally paying for information from Buckingham Palace's internal phone directory, known as The Green Book, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced.
The confidential directory includes home numbers for senior royals including the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal as well as the landline and mobile numbers of all royal household staff.
Mr Coulson, who used to edit the now defunct News of the World, is to be charged with two conspiracies, alongside the paper's former Royal Editor, Clive Goodman.
It is alleged that between August 2002 and January 2003 they conspired with others to commit misconduct in a public office in illegally paying for information about the Royal Family and members of the royal household.
The CPS also announced that Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, was to face charges related to the illegal payment to public officials for information following her time at The Sun.
Related Articles
Mrs Brooks, who edited both the News of the World and The Sun, is to be charged alongside the The Sun's long time former chief reporter John Kay, over alleged illegal payments to a Ministry of Defence employee, Bettina Jordan Barber.
It is alleged Ms Jordan Barber, who is understood to have worked on the MOD's Iraq desk, was paid in the region of £100,000 between 2004 and 2011 for information which formed the basis of a series of news stories in The Sun.
The charges follow investigations conducted as part of Scotland Yard's Operation Elveden and all of those charged will appear before Westminster Magistrates Court at a date yet to be fixed.
Mr Coulson and Mrs Brooks have also been charged alongside a number of former colleagues with conspiring to hack the mobile phones of more than 600 people.
Mrs Brooks has also been charged, alongside her husband Charlie, and others with perverting the course of justice in connection with the phone hacking investigation.
They are not expected to stand trial before September next year.
Operation Elveden was set up in the wake of the phone hacking scandal following allegations that journalists at News International titles had illegally paid public officials for information.
The company set up its own internal unit – the Management Standards Committee (MSC) – to investigate the claims and has been co-operating with Scotland Yard.
A total of 52 people have been arrested so far as part of the investigation, including 27 current or former journalists, six police officers and 12 current or former public officials including prison officers and members of the armed forces.
Seven people have also been arrested for acting as conduits for allegedly corrupt payments.
Last week Scotland Yard announced that no further action would be taken against a 63-year-old ex-journalist and a 57-year-old retired police office, who were arrested last year.
The vast majority of the journalists arrested worked for the News of the World’s sister paper, The Sun, but one reporter from Mirror Group Newspapers and another from Express Group Newspapers have also been questioned by police.
Before today only one person had been charged in connection with Operation Elveden.
Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn, the former head of Scotland Yard’s National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit, appeared in court last month accused of contacting the News of the World and offering information related to the original phone hacking investigation.
She has been charged with misconduct in a public office and breaching the Official Secrets Act.
It is understood the CPS is still awaiting files on the remaining people who have been arrested in connection with Operation Elveden.
The Metropolitan Police has previously estimated that the investigations will cost around £40 million.
Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International and Andy Coulson, the Prime Minister’s former director of communications, will be charged with illegally paying officials for information, the Crown Prosecution Service announced today.
(Clockwise from top left) Andy Coulson, Clive Goodman, Rebekah Brooks and John Kay Photo: AP
By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent
11:13AM GMT 20 Nov 2012
Andy Coulson, the Prime Minister’s former director of communications, has been charged with illegally paying for information from Buckingham Palace's internal phone directory, known as The Green Book, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced.
The confidential directory includes home numbers for senior royals including the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal as well as the landline and mobile numbers of all royal household staff.
Mr Coulson, who used to edit the now defunct News of the World, is to be charged with two conspiracies, alongside the paper's former Royal Editor, Clive Goodman.
It is alleged that between August 2002 and January 2003 they conspired with others to commit misconduct in a public office in illegally paying for information about the Royal Family and members of the royal household.
The CPS also announced that Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, was to face charges related to the illegal payment to public officials for information following her time at The Sun.
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20 Nov 2012
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20 Nov 2012
Scotland Yard investigating 142 complaints of computer hacking, Leveson Inquiry told
16 Nov 2012
Two men including journalist arrested by computer hacking police
02 Oct 2012
Phone Hacking: Brooks trial to take place next year
26 Sep 2012
Mrs Brooks, who edited both the News of the World and The Sun, is to be charged alongside the The Sun's long time former chief reporter John Kay, over alleged illegal payments to a Ministry of Defence employee, Bettina Jordan Barber.
It is alleged Ms Jordan Barber, who is understood to have worked on the MOD's Iraq desk, was paid in the region of £100,000 between 2004 and 2011 for information which formed the basis of a series of news stories in The Sun.
The charges follow investigations conducted as part of Scotland Yard's Operation Elveden and all of those charged will appear before Westminster Magistrates Court at a date yet to be fixed.
Mr Coulson and Mrs Brooks have also been charged alongside a number of former colleagues with conspiring to hack the mobile phones of more than 600 people.
Mrs Brooks has also been charged, alongside her husband Charlie, and others with perverting the course of justice in connection with the phone hacking investigation.
They are not expected to stand trial before September next year.
Operation Elveden was set up in the wake of the phone hacking scandal following allegations that journalists at News International titles had illegally paid public officials for information.
The company set up its own internal unit – the Management Standards Committee (MSC) – to investigate the claims and has been co-operating with Scotland Yard.
A total of 52 people have been arrested so far as part of the investigation, including 27 current or former journalists, six police officers and 12 current or former public officials including prison officers and members of the armed forces.
Seven people have also been arrested for acting as conduits for allegedly corrupt payments.
Last week Scotland Yard announced that no further action would be taken against a 63-year-old ex-journalist and a 57-year-old retired police office, who were arrested last year.
The vast majority of the journalists arrested worked for the News of the World’s sister paper, The Sun, but one reporter from Mirror Group Newspapers and another from Express Group Newspapers have also been questioned by police.
Before today only one person had been charged in connection with Operation Elveden.
Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn, the former head of Scotland Yard’s National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit, appeared in court last month accused of contacting the News of the World and offering information related to the original phone hacking investigation.
She has been charged with misconduct in a public office and breaching the Official Secrets Act.
It is understood the CPS is still awaiting files on the remaining people who have been arrested in connection with Operation Elveden.
The Metropolitan Police has previously estimated that the investigations will cost around £40 million.
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 20 Nov - 12:50
Brooks And Coulson To Face New Charges
Former No 10 communications chief Andy Coulson and ex-boss of The Sun Rebekah Brooks face charges over payments to officials.
12:29pm UK, Tuesday 20 November 2012
Video: Andy Coulson Edited The News Of The World After Rebekah Brooks
Enlarge
By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent
Former Tory spin doctor Andy Coulson and News International chief Rebekah Brooks face new criminal charges over bungs to public officials in return for stories used in the News Of The World and The Sun.
Coulson, who was editor of the NOTW at the time, and the paper's former royal correspondent Clive Goodman are charged with conspiring to pay for information about the royal family, including an internal phone directory known as the Green Book.
Brooks, who edited The Sun, and the paper's chief reporter John Kay are charged with conspiracy to pay Ministry of Defence employee Bettina Jordan Barber £100,000 for information that led to a series of stories in the newspaper.
Ms Barber faces the same charge.
Kay attended a north London police station on Tuesday morning and was charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. He was bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on November 29.
Solicitor Henri Brandman, who is representing Kay, said: "Neither my client nor I will be making any comment in respect of the matter at the present time."
Coulson pledged to fight the allegations that he is facing and said: "I am extremely disappointed by this latest CPS decision. I deny the allegations made against me and will fight the charges in court."
The charges follow Scotland Yard investigation Operation Elveden, which began in July last year and is likely to continue for many months.
So far, 52 people have been arrested, including 21 journalists from The Sun, armed forces staff and a prison official.
Before today, the only charge brought was against Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn, accused of leaking information to the NOTW, which was closed by owner Rupert Murdoch 16 months ago in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.
DCI Casburn has denied the charge.
Two arrested suspects, an ex-police officer and a former journalist, were told recently that they would not face prosecution.
The five charged today are expected to appear in court in the next few weeks. The formal charge against them is conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, which could mean jail if convicted.
Coulson, Brooks and others have already been charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, over allegations they tried to cover up evidence of phone hacking.
Former No 10 communications chief Andy Coulson and ex-boss of The Sun Rebekah Brooks face charges over payments to officials.
12:29pm UK, Tuesday 20 November 2012
Video: Andy Coulson Edited The News Of The World After Rebekah Brooks
Enlarge
[email=?subject=Shared from Sky News: Brooks%20And%20Coulson%20To%20Face%20New%20Charges&body=Shared from Sky News: Brooks%20And%20Coulson%20To%20Face%20New%20Charges http://news.sky.com/story/1013915]Email[/email]
By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent
Former Tory spin doctor Andy Coulson and News International chief Rebekah Brooks face new criminal charges over bungs to public officials in return for stories used in the News Of The World and The Sun.
Coulson, who was editor of the NOTW at the time, and the paper's former royal correspondent Clive Goodman are charged with conspiring to pay for information about the royal family, including an internal phone directory known as the Green Book.
Brooks, who edited The Sun, and the paper's chief reporter John Kay are charged with conspiracy to pay Ministry of Defence employee Bettina Jordan Barber £100,000 for information that led to a series of stories in the newspaper.
Ms Barber faces the same charge.
Kay attended a north London police station on Tuesday morning and was charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. He was bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on November 29.
Solicitor Henri Brandman, who is representing Kay, said: "Neither my client nor I will be making any comment in respect of the matter at the present time."
Coulson pledged to fight the allegations that he is facing and said: "I am extremely disappointed by this latest CPS decision. I deny the allegations made against me and will fight the charges in court."
The charges follow Scotland Yard investigation Operation Elveden, which began in July last year and is likely to continue for many months.
So far, 52 people have been arrested, including 21 journalists from The Sun, armed forces staff and a prison official.
Before today, the only charge brought was against Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn, accused of leaking information to the NOTW, which was closed by owner Rupert Murdoch 16 months ago in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.
DCI Casburn has denied the charge.
Two arrested suspects, an ex-police officer and a former journalist, were told recently that they would not face prosecution.
The five charged today are expected to appear in court in the next few weeks. The formal charge against them is conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, which could mean jail if convicted.
Coulson, Brooks and others have already been charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, over allegations they tried to cover up evidence of phone hacking.
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Thu 22 Nov - 11:11
Brooks, Coulson charged over alleged payments to officials
By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN
November 21, 2012 -- Updated 0140 GMT (0940 HKT)
(File photo) Rebekah Brooks, the former head of News International is pictured on September 26 in London.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
London (CNN) -- Rupert Murdoch protégé Rebekah Brooks was charged Tuesday with conspiracy over alleged illegal payments to a Ministry of Defence employee, London's Metropolitan Police said Tuesday.
In a separate case, Andy Coulson, another former Murdoch employee who went on to work for Prime Minister David Cameron, faces charges of conspiring to make illegal payments to officials for information relating to the royal family, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said.
Read more: Why media fights back so hard
Brooks and Coulson are former editors of the now-defunct News of the World newspaper, owned by a UK subsidiary of Murdoch's News Corp., News International.
Former NOTW editors charged with bribery
Inside the UK phone hacking scandal
Rupert Murdoch: 'I was not aware'
Brooks also was editor of daily tabloid The Sun from 2003 to 2009 before becoming chief executive of News International.
Two others face charges of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office alongside Brooks -- the former chief reporter at The Sun, John Kay, and Bettina Jordan-Barber, employed by the Ministry of Defence.
A fourth suspect, identified only as a second public official, remains under investigation, the CPS said.
The charges in this case relate to the period from January 1, 2004, to January 31 of this year, Alison Levitt, chief legal adviser to the director of public prosecutions, said in a statement.
"This conspiracy relates to information allegedly provided by Bettina Jordan Barber for payment which formed the basis of a series of news stories published by The Sun," Levitt said. "It is alleged that approximately £100,000 was paid to Bettina Jordan Barber between 2004 and 2011."
Kay, 69, and Brooks, 44, were formally charged at London police stations Tuesday. Both are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on November 29.
The case in which Coulson is charged also involves former News of the World royal correspondent Clive Goodman.
Both men face two counts of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office.
"The allegations relate to the request and authorization of payments to public officials in exchange for information, including a palace phone directory known as the "Green Book" containing contact details for the royal family and members of the household," Levitt said.
Royal officials declined to comment on the charges.
Coulson, who took over as editor of News of the World in 2003, having served as deputy editor for three years, resigned from the post in 2007.
He was then appointed director of communications for Cameron but stepped down in early 2011 amid questions over allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World, saying he did not want to be a distraction.
The charges against Coulson, Brooks and the other suspects result from a Metropolitan Police investigation into alleged illegal payments to public officials, codenamed Operation Elveden. It was launched in conjunction with police inquiries into alleged phone and computer hacking.
The News of the World was shuttered in summer 2011 amid public outrage over revelations that it hacked into the voicemail of a missing schoolgirl, Milly Dowler, who later turned out to have been murdered.
if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();}
CNN's Marilia Brocchetto, Susannah Palk and Max Foster contributed to this report.
58
Comments »
By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN
November 21, 2012 -- Updated 0140 GMT (0940 HKT)
(File photo) Rebekah Brooks, the former head of News International is pictured on September 26 in London.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Rebekah Brooks will appear in court next week, charged over alleged illegal payments
- Andy Coulson faces charges over alleged payments to officials in a separate case
- Brooks and Coulson edited a newspaper that was part of the News Corp. empire
- Coulson was director of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron
London (CNN) -- Rupert Murdoch protégé Rebekah Brooks was charged Tuesday with conspiracy over alleged illegal payments to a Ministry of Defence employee, London's Metropolitan Police said Tuesday.
In a separate case, Andy Coulson, another former Murdoch employee who went on to work for Prime Minister David Cameron, faces charges of conspiring to make illegal payments to officials for information relating to the royal family, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said.
Read more: Why media fights back so hard
Brooks and Coulson are former editors of the now-defunct News of the World newspaper, owned by a UK subsidiary of Murdoch's News Corp., News International.
Former NOTW editors charged with bribery Inside the UK phone hacking scandal Rupert Murdoch: 'I was not aware' Brooks also was editor of daily tabloid The Sun from 2003 to 2009 before becoming chief executive of News International.
Two others face charges of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office alongside Brooks -- the former chief reporter at The Sun, John Kay, and Bettina Jordan-Barber, employed by the Ministry of Defence.
A fourth suspect, identified only as a second public official, remains under investigation, the CPS said.
The charges in this case relate to the period from January 1, 2004, to January 31 of this year, Alison Levitt, chief legal adviser to the director of public prosecutions, said in a statement.
"This conspiracy relates to information allegedly provided by Bettina Jordan Barber for payment which formed the basis of a series of news stories published by The Sun," Levitt said. "It is alleged that approximately £100,000 was paid to Bettina Jordan Barber between 2004 and 2011."
Kay, 69, and Brooks, 44, were formally charged at London police stations Tuesday. Both are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on November 29.
The case in which Coulson is charged also involves former News of the World royal correspondent Clive Goodman.
Both men face two counts of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office.
"The allegations relate to the request and authorization of payments to public officials in exchange for information, including a palace phone directory known as the "Green Book" containing contact details for the royal family and members of the household," Levitt said.
Royal officials declined to comment on the charges.
Coulson, who took over as editor of News of the World in 2003, having served as deputy editor for three years, resigned from the post in 2007.
He was then appointed director of communications for Cameron but stepped down in early 2011 amid questions over allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World, saying he did not want to be a distraction.
The charges against Coulson, Brooks and the other suspects result from a Metropolitan Police investigation into alleged illegal payments to public officials, codenamed Operation Elveden. It was launched in conjunction with police inquiries into alleged phone and computer hacking.
The News of the World was shuttered in summer 2011 amid public outrage over revelations that it hacked into the voicemail of a missing schoolgirl, Milly Dowler, who later turned out to have been murdered.
if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();}
CNN's Marilia Brocchetto, Susannah Palk and Max Foster contributed to this report.
58
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Thu 22 Nov - 17:27
Scumbags of the world, unite - you have nothing to lose but Murdoch's chains
One of the joys of Rupert Murdoch having joined Twitter is that we're able to glimpse the real Rupert and the reason he was nicknamed the Dirty Digger.
In the light of his describing hacking victims as scumbag celebrities it's as well to remind us of the day he appeared before MPs to say: "This is the most humbling day of my life."
So it's fair to ask: was his apology for the illegal and unethical actions of his News of the World journalists sincere after all?
I suppose he could have been shooting from the hip (or the lip), not realising that these "scumbags" had suffered outrageously from intrusion into their private lives.
But my guess is that once that fact is pointed out he wouldn't give a damn, even if he was prevailed upon to issue an anodyne, and utterly insincere, apology at some stage.
In truth, his tweet was a revelation of the ruthless and unrepentant Murdoch, the man who spent 30 years either excusing News of the World excesses or simply ignoring them.
After all, in spite of all that its reporters and executives had done, he has admitted to being panicked into closing the paper.
Consider his breathtaking cynicism. Murdoch's company, News Corporation, lives off celebrities. They star in 20th Century Fox movies and they appear on Fox TV. He mixes with them.
Meanwhile, his popular newspapers feed off them in a different way, using them as sales fodder. It matters not to him how they are portrayed, nor how articles about them are obtained. Now we know why. He thinks they are scumbags.
Well, humble man, I guess it takes one to know one. Good luck with the News Corp AGM when scumbag investors ask pertinent questions about your company and then vote against you and your board.
Not that it will unseat you of course. You have the voting shares tied up. It's great to live in a free market when it's tilted in one's favour, isn't it?
But this kind of insult could yet rebound. We're all scumbags now. So I call on all the scumbags of the world - celebrities, readers, movie watchers, satellite TV payers, investors, journalists - to unite and throw off the shackles of the great media mogul. Boycott all that he owns.
Posted by
Roy Greenslade Monday 15 October 2012 11.57 BST guardian.co.uk
EmailOne of the joys of Rupert Murdoch having joined Twitter is that we're able to glimpse the real Rupert and the reason he was nicknamed the Dirty Digger.
In the light of his describing hacking victims as scumbag celebrities it's as well to remind us of the day he appeared before MPs to say: "This is the most humbling day of my life."
So it's fair to ask: was his apology for the illegal and unethical actions of his News of the World journalists sincere after all?
I suppose he could have been shooting from the hip (or the lip), not realising that these "scumbags" had suffered outrageously from intrusion into their private lives.
But my guess is that once that fact is pointed out he wouldn't give a damn, even if he was prevailed upon to issue an anodyne, and utterly insincere, apology at some stage.
In truth, his tweet was a revelation of the ruthless and unrepentant Murdoch, the man who spent 30 years either excusing News of the World excesses or simply ignoring them.
After all, in spite of all that its reporters and executives had done, he has admitted to being panicked into closing the paper.
Consider his breathtaking cynicism. Murdoch's company, News Corporation, lives off celebrities. They star in 20th Century Fox movies and they appear on Fox TV. He mixes with them.
Meanwhile, his popular newspapers feed off them in a different way, using them as sales fodder. It matters not to him how they are portrayed, nor how articles about them are obtained. Now we know why. He thinks they are scumbags.
Well, humble man, I guess it takes one to know one. Good luck with the News Corp AGM when scumbag investors ask pertinent questions about your company and then vote against you and your board.
Not that it will unseat you of course. You have the voting shares tied up. It's great to live in a free market when it's tilted in one's favour, isn't it?
But this kind of insult could yet rebound. We're all scumbags now. So I call on all the scumbags of the world - celebrities, readers, movie watchers, satellite TV payers, investors, journalists - to unite and throw off the shackles of the great media mogul. Boycott all that he owns.
Posted by
Roy Greenslade Monday 15 October 2012 11.57 BST guardian.co.uk
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Annabel Tue 27 Nov - 11:20
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Re: Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?
Panda Tue 27 Nov - 12:45
Thanks Annabel, good read ....... Cameron might be asked to produce the other e-mails , almost 30 , he really has shown poor judgement again , especially over his friendship with Rebekah Brooks.
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Andy Coulson wins appeal against NI over legal fees.
Panda Wed 28 Nov - 17:50
Andy Coulson wins appeal against News International over legal fees
Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor, has won an appeal against News International’s refusal to pay his legal fees in the phone hacking scandal.
Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor Photo: Oli Scarff/AP
By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent
11:43AM GMT 28 Nov 2012
Mr Coulson, who also worked as the Prime Minister’s director of communications, challenged a High Court ruling that his former employer should not have to pay his legal bills relating to any allegations of criminal activity.
He is currently facing charges that he conspired to hack the phones of more than 600 people, including the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and also conspired to cause misconduct in a public office in connection with the illegal purchase of information from Buckingham Palace’s confidential phone directory.
Mr Coulson is also facing perjury charges in Scotland related to the trial of Tommy Sheridan.
News Group Newspapers, which published the now defunct News of the World, stopped paying Mr Coulson’s legal fees in August last year.
But he challenged the decision claiming a clause in his severance agreement meant he was entitled to legal costs.
Related Articles
He applied to the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling arguing that NGN "must pay the professional costs and expenses properly incurred" by him "in defending allegations of criminal conduct" during his tenure.
Lord Justice Laws, Lord Justice Sullivan and Lord Justice McCombe, sitting at the Court of Appeal in London, allowed his appeal today.
Lawyers for Mr Coulson argued that a clause in his contract when he left News International entitled him to legal costs.
Lord Justice McCombe, giving the unanimous ruling of the court, said he was "satisfied" that the clause did "cover Mr Coulson's costs and expenses of defending the criminal allegations"
Mr Coulson was not in court today to hear the ruling handed down.
The 44-year-old former editor, who has always denied any wrongdoing, resigned from his position as Prime Minister David Cameron's director of communications in January last year, saying that coverage of the scandal was making it too difficult for him to do his job.
==========================
This is very strange, an Executive having Legal Costs written into his Contract, was it assumed that what they were doing was illegal? Coulson can hardly claim innocence, he MUST have known what was going on. Newscorp is going to love this......no doubt Rebekah will claim Legal Fees as well. Shareholders tried to oust Murdoch as Chairman a couple of months ago but since the Murdochs have a majority shareholding there was nothing they could do.
Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor, has won an appeal against News International’s refusal to pay his legal fees in the phone hacking scandal.
Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor Photo: Oli Scarff/AP
By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent
11:43AM GMT 28 Nov 2012
Mr Coulson, who also worked as the Prime Minister’s director of communications, challenged a High Court ruling that his former employer should not have to pay his legal bills relating to any allegations of criminal activity.
He is currently facing charges that he conspired to hack the phones of more than 600 people, including the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and also conspired to cause misconduct in a public office in connection with the illegal purchase of information from Buckingham Palace’s confidential phone directory.
Mr Coulson is also facing perjury charges in Scotland related to the trial of Tommy Sheridan.
News Group Newspapers, which published the now defunct News of the World, stopped paying Mr Coulson’s legal fees in August last year.
But he challenged the decision claiming a clause in his severance agreement meant he was entitled to legal costs.
Related Articles
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27 Nov 2012
Ignoring Leveson's advice would be 'clear breach' of duty to hacking victims
26 Nov 2012
Phone hacking: timeline of the scandal
20 Nov 2012
He applied to the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling arguing that NGN "must pay the professional costs and expenses properly incurred" by him "in defending allegations of criminal conduct" during his tenure.
Lord Justice Laws, Lord Justice Sullivan and Lord Justice McCombe, sitting at the Court of Appeal in London, allowed his appeal today.
Lawyers for Mr Coulson argued that a clause in his contract when he left News International entitled him to legal costs.
Lord Justice McCombe, giving the unanimous ruling of the court, said he was "satisfied" that the clause did "cover Mr Coulson's costs and expenses of defending the criminal allegations"
Mr Coulson was not in court today to hear the ruling handed down.
The 44-year-old former editor, who has always denied any wrongdoing, resigned from his position as Prime Minister David Cameron's director of communications in January last year, saying that coverage of the scandal was making it too difficult for him to do his job.
==========================
This is very strange, an Executive having Legal Costs written into his Contract, was it assumed that what they were doing was illegal? Coulson can hardly claim innocence, he MUST have known what was going on. Newscorp is going to love this......no doubt Rebekah will claim Legal Fees as well. Shareholders tried to oust Murdoch as Chairman a couple of months ago but since the Murdochs have a majority shareholding there was nothing they could do.
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News International could face charges of bribery allegations.
Panda Sun 2 Dec - 17:03
News International could face charges over bribery allegations
News International, the owner of The Sun and The Times newspapers, could face corporate corruption charges over alleged bribery of public officials, it has emerged.
Police working on Operation Elveden have been investigating allegations that journalists paid public officials such as police officers, hospital staff and prison officers for information. The majority of the 21 reporters to be arrested have returned to work at The Sun, which is also paying their legal costs. Photo: AFP
By Jonathan Russell, Assistant City Editor
9:25AM GMT 09 Nov 2012
The news came after it was reported that journalists being investigated over alleged payments to public officials are being put under pressure to implicate senior executives at Rupert Murdoch's company. More than 20 journalists at The Sun have been arrested as part of the police's Operation Elveden, and some have been apparently asked to identify bosses who may have known about or condoned payments to public officials in return for information.
The journalists were arrested as part of wider crackdown on phone hacking and payment of alleged bribes by newspapers at News Corporation's UK arm.
One of the journalists is said to believe that police are looking for evidence that could implicate News International at a corporate level in the alleged corruption. The 1906 Prevention of Corruption Act allows charges to be brought at a corporate level. It has been used in cases against engineer Mabey & Johnson and chemicals group Innospec, with both companies being accused of bribing foreign officials for contracts.
For the law to be brought into play it would require that a "controlling mind", likely to be board member, was aware of the illegality.
Charges could also be brought under the 2010 Bribery Act, but this is unlikely to be used against News International, as the relatively new law can only be applied to illegal acts committed after July 2011.
Related Articles
The possibility that News International could face corporate charges in the UK significantly increases the pressure on Murdoch's News Corporation parent company.
It has already been reported that similar charges could be brought in the United States under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which has international jurisdiction and could be applied even if offences were committed in the UK.
Police working on Operation Elveden have been investigating allegations that journalists paid public officials such as police officers, hospital staff and prison officers for information. The majority of the 21 reporters to be arrested have returned to work at The Sun, which is also paying their legal costs.
But a number of journalists have complained about the apparent conflict of interest in being put under pressure by police to reveal details about the organisation that is paying their salaries and legal fees.
A spokesman for News International declined to comment on the possibility of the company facing corporate corruption charges.
A spokesman for the police declined to comment.
=============================
This is precisely why the Press needs to be regulated, I hope the U.S. , far stricter than the UK takes NI licence away.
The US employed the FBI when the phone hacking came to light because of fears U.S. Citizens might have been hacked, no news yet.
News International, the owner of The Sun and The Times newspapers, could face corporate corruption charges over alleged bribery of public officials, it has emerged.
Police working on Operation Elveden have been investigating allegations that journalists paid public officials such as police officers, hospital staff and prison officers for information. The majority of the 21 reporters to be arrested have returned to work at The Sun, which is also paying their legal costs. Photo: AFP
By Jonathan Russell, Assistant City Editor
9:25AM GMT 09 Nov 2012
The news came after it was reported that journalists being investigated over alleged payments to public officials are being put under pressure to implicate senior executives at Rupert Murdoch's company. More than 20 journalists at The Sun have been arrested as part of the police's Operation Elveden, and some have been apparently asked to identify bosses who may have known about or condoned payments to public officials in return for information.
The journalists were arrested as part of wider crackdown on phone hacking and payment of alleged bribes by newspapers at News Corporation's UK arm.
One of the journalists is said to believe that police are looking for evidence that could implicate News International at a corporate level in the alleged corruption. The 1906 Prevention of Corruption Act allows charges to be brought at a corporate level. It has been used in cases against engineer Mabey & Johnson and chemicals group Innospec, with both companies being accused of bribing foreign officials for contracts.
For the law to be brought into play it would require that a "controlling mind", likely to be board member, was aware of the illegality.
Charges could also be brought under the 2010 Bribery Act, but this is unlikely to be used against News International, as the relatively new law can only be applied to illegal acts committed after July 2011.
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23 Oct 2012
Rupert Murdoch's iron grip on News Corp dealt a blow'
17 Oct 2012
Pension fund calls for Rupert Murdoch to step down
16 Oct 2012
The possibility that News International could face corporate charges in the UK significantly increases the pressure on Murdoch's News Corporation parent company.
It has already been reported that similar charges could be brought in the United States under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which has international jurisdiction and could be applied even if offences were committed in the UK.
Police working on Operation Elveden have been investigating allegations that journalists paid public officials such as police officers, hospital staff and prison officers for information. The majority of the 21 reporters to be arrested have returned to work at The Sun, which is also paying their legal costs.
But a number of journalists have complained about the apparent conflict of interest in being put under pressure by police to reveal details about the organisation that is paying their salaries and legal fees.
A spokesman for News International declined to comment on the possibility of the company facing corporate corruption charges.
A spokesman for the police declined to comment.
=============================
This is precisely why the Press needs to be regulated, I hope the U.S. , far stricter than the UK takes NI licence away.
The US employed the FBI when the phone hacking came to light because of fears U.S. Citizens might have been hacked, no news yet.
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