And the future for News International??

Hacking: Murdoch Accused Of Misleading MPs

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3:48am UK, Friday July 22, 2011
James Murdoch has been accused of misleading Parliament over his knowledge
of the extent of phone hacking at the News Of The World (NOTW).










The former editor and chief lawyer of the tabloid said they had informed
Rupert Murdoch's son about evidence that suggested the practice was not limited
to just one reporter.
Mr Murdoch junior told the Commons culture, media and sport committee earlier
this week that he was "not aware" of an email suggesting phone hacking went
wider.
But Colin Myler, who edited the paper until it was closed over the scandal,
and legal manager Tom Crone have released a statement saying Mr Murdoch was
"mistaken".
Mr Murdoch has said he stands by his evidence to the select committee.



James Murdoch gives evidence to the culture, media and
sport committee


The issue hinges on a settlement paid to Professional Footballers'
Association chief executive Gordon Taylor in 2008, worth a reported £700,000,
after he brought a damages claim against the NOTW.
At the committee hearing, MP Tom Watson asked James Murdoch: "When you signed
off the Taylor payment, did you see or were you made aware of the full Neville
email, the transcript of the hacked voicemail messages?"
He replied: "No, I was not aware of that at the time."
In their statement, Mr Myler and Mr Crone said: "Just by way of clarification
relating to Tuesday's CMS Select Committee hearing, we would like to point out
that James Murdoch's recollection of what he was told when agreeing to settle
the Gordon Taylor litigation was mistaken.






"In fact, we did inform him of the 'for Neville' email which had been
produced to us by Gordon Taylor's lawyers."
John Whittingdale, the Conservative MP and chairman of the committee, told
Sky News Mr Murdoch would be asked to clarify his evidence over the
discrepancy.
Mr Whittingdale said Mr Murdoch, the chairman of News International, which
published the tabloid, had already agreed to write to the committee on issues he
had been unable to address at the hearing.
However, the committee will not be recalled on the matter, Mr Whittingdale
said.



Colin Myler poses with the News Of The World's final
edition


:: Meanwhile, Sky sources have revealed that a former NOTW executive has been
sacked by The Sun after serious allegations of wrongdoing relating to his time
at the Sunday title.
He is thought to be Matt Nixson, who had been features editor at The Sun
since last January.
It is understood he was escorted out of the newsroom at Wapping, east London,
by four security guards and his computer was seized.

carmen wrote:“@Its_Death: How many Murdochs does it take to change a lightbulb? They were unaware the lightbulb was an issue & regret unknowingly paying to change it”

carmen wrote:“@Its_Death: How many Murdochs does it take to change a lightbulb? They were unaware the lightbulb was an issue & regret unknowingly paying to change it”

carmen wrote:“@Its_Death: How many Murdochs does it take to change a lightbulb? They were unaware the lightbulb was an issue & regret unknowingly paying to change it”

The Police are looking into James Murdoch"s story at the request of David Cameron

Thanks Carmen.......well if James Murdoch is called before the Committee again you can bet they will be armed with all the evidence Crone and Myler
can produce.

The attitiude in America seems to be that by James interrupting too much to answer for his Father he thought Rupert would say something untoward.

However, he is credited with making bskyb as profitable as it is since he took over.

This is an Anorak Report, but very interesting


Did Rupert Murdoch Own Scotland Yard? The Evidence

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DID Rupert Murdoch own Scotland Yard? The link between News International and the police runs deep. Did they collude on investigation and phone hacking?
HELLO HELLO HELLO!
UK Assistant Police Commissioner John Yates “failed” in his job,
declining in 2009 to reopen an investigation into News International.
HELLO HELLO HELLO! Met
Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson employed Neil Wallis, News of
the World’s former deputy editor, as a consultant at Scotland Yard.
This revelation emerged about 10 hours after Wallis was arrested in connection with the phone hacking.
HELLO HELLO HELLO! The New York Times’ Don Van Natta Jr. says “nearly 4,000 celebrities, politicians, sports stars, police officials and crime victims whose phones may have been hacked” sat unexamined in an evidence room for four years, despite public claims that the police had finished their investigation.
Scotland Yard and News International “became so intertwined that they wound up sharing the goal of containing the investigation.”
HELLO HELLO HELLO!
Sir Paul Stephenson stayed at Champneys in Tring in Hertfordshire while
recovering from a broken leg in January this year. Sir Paul Stephenson
and his wife spent 20 nights with full board at Champneys as he
recuperated from hospital treatment for a cancerous growth on his leg.
The Telegraph reports:

Champneys was being promoted by Outside
Organisation, a public relations firm whose managing director was Neil
Wallis, the former deputy editor of the News of the World who was
arrested last week in connection with the phone hacking scandal. Outside
had picked up the contract to manage Champneys in November last year,
two months before Sir Paul’s stay.

What say the cops?

“Following his operations, the commissioner stayed
with his wife at Champneys Medical from Monday to Friday over a period
of five weeks earlier this year where he underwent an extensive
programme of hydro- and physiotherapy. This enabled him to return to
work six weeks earlier than anticipated. As with many officers, the Met
paid the intensive physiotherapy costs. The accommodation and meals were
arranged and provided by Stephen Purdew, MD of Champneys, a personal
family friend.”

Yep. Thanks to the freebie – value: £12,000 – Sir Paul was back to
work six weeks early. News International DOES make the streets safer
places to walk.
Says Sir Paul:

“Let me state clearly, I and the people who know
me know that my integrity is completely intact. I may wish we had done
some things differently, but I will not lose sleep over my personal
integrity.”

HELLO HELLO HELLO! The Sunday Telegraph can
reveal today how Sir Paul was offered hospitality by News International
on 15 occasions between April 2007 and March 2010 – accepting 14 of the
invitations.
HELLO HELLO HELLO! Andy Hayman was senior detective in charge of the original phone hacking inquiry. He works for News International.
The Telegraph reports:

[He] dined with the editor and deputy editor of the News of the World in the middle of his investigation into the newspaper.
The dinner with Andy Coulson and Neil Wallis, both of whom have
been arrested in the past 10 days, took place on April 25, 2006, four
months after Buckingham Palace had alerted Scotland Yard to their
suspicions that the newspaper was intercepting Prince William’s mobile
phone messages.
The dinner is just one of a series Mr Hayman, then the Metropolitan
Police’s assistant commissioner, enjoyed at the expense of News
International. He resigned from the force in December 2007 amid
allegations of expenses claims and improper conduct with two women, of
which he was later cleared, and took a job with The Times, writing on
security issues…

So. Who trained Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator contracted to the News of the World, to hack phones?
Mulcaire and the News of the World’s royal reporter, Clive Goodman,
were arrested on suspicion of phone hacking August 2006 and jailed in
January 2007.
HELLO HELLO HELLO! Neither of them has written a book on their roles nor worked the media circuit. Why not?
Rebekah Brooks mistake was allowing hard-pressed journalists, who worked for her, to use outsiders to gather information.
These investigation skills are honed elsewhere. In Government centres
such as GCHQ (which had just finished recruiting thousands of new
telecom spies) military communication centres are no less skilled and
police teams have slowly caught up on the techniques needs.
There is a requirement that all police forces now have teams
of investigators which watch for illegal activities within their own
and other UK police forces. These teams are whiter than white and if
wives or relatives have any sort of brush with the Law, detectives are
moved to other sections at once. These are the super cops of
legend…except they now exist and have vast powers, skills and support in
terms of communication surveillance.
Old rules still apply and consents to snoop are supposed to sought and granted….not always the case.
These sort of areas are the training grounds for the “private
detectives” which have (allegedly) been employed by newspapers….and make
no mistake News International is NOT alone in this.
The snoops employed by technophobic and therefore incompetent journos
do not themselves have those skills and they in turn employ others.
Where were those trained and collect the contacts necessary to break open phone company computers?
There are only two possible sources:

the phone companies themselves and
the quasi-government and governmental departments.

The first stones which have to be lifted are those which the Civil
Services’ finest largest and most Established backsides remain firmly
attached to.
So far UK Premier David Cameron has not realised just how far down
the Establishments’ sewers his proposed inquiries may have to sniff.
PS – How many times have BBC and ITN executives met with the police ovbr the same period?

Panda wrote:The Police are looking into James Murdoch"s story at the request of David Cameron

No panda not at the request of Cameron he just jumped on the band wagon it was Tom Watson.

halfamo wrote:

Panda wrote:The Police are looking into James Murdoch"s story at the request of David Cameron

No panda not at the request of Cameron he just jumped on the band wagon it was Tom Watson.

Hi halfamo, I reckon David Cameron must be very nervous about what could come out from this investigation. It was very noticeable that when Cameron
was speaking in the Commons, the LibDem leader Nick Clegg was looking away as if he knew Cameron has something to hide. I wouldn"t be surprised if
the LibDems break the Coalition to force a General Election rather than have Cameron in charge for the next three years.

I personally think Cameron & Osbourne are up to their necks in this by association they should have kept a distance .

Sara Payne 'Devastated' At Phone Hacking Claims

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4:24am UK, Friday July 29, 2011

The mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne has been told by police her
phone may have been targeted by an investigator working for the News Of The
World.




Sara's daughter Sarah was murdered by a paedophile in
2000



Sara Payne was informed by detectives that her contact details are on a list
compiled by a private investigator used by the tabloid, says her friend Shy
Keenan.

Ms Payne, who worked closely with the Sunday newspaper to campaign for better
child protection laws, was said to be "devastated" when she was informed of the
latest development.

Metropolitan Police officers working on Operation Weeting have been examining
evidence gathered from the investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who was sent to prison
in 2007 for phone hacking.

The Phoenix Chief Advocates child welfare
group, which Ms Payne runs with Ms Keenan and Fiona Crook, said: "Whilst it was
previously confirmed by Operation Weeting that Sara Payne's name was not on
private investigator Glenn Mulcaire's list, it has now been confirmed by the
Operation Weeting that Sara's details are on his list.

"Sara is absolutely devastated by this news, we're all deeply disappointed
and are just working to get her through it."



Guardian's Nick Watt On Latest Claim










Eight-year-old Sarah was murdered by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000. He was jailed for life in 2001.

Following her death, the News Of The World led a campaign which resulted in
Sarah's Law, in which parents can ask police if a person
who has regular and unsupervised access to their child has a record for child
sex offences.

The campaign was spearheaded by the newspaper's then editor, Rebekah
Brooks.

In a statement, Mrs Brooks said: "These allegations are abhorrent and
particularly upsetting as Sara Payne is dear friend.



Sara Payne with Rebekah Brooks, former editor of NOTW



"For the benefit of the campaign for Sarah's Law, the News of the World have
provided Sara with a mobile telephone for the last eleven years. It was not a
personal gift.

"The idea that anyone on the newspaper knew that Sara or the campaign team
were targeted by Mr Mulcaire is unthinkable. The idea of her being targeted is
beyond my comprehension."

Ms Payne wrote a column in the final edition of the News Of The World
describing the now-defunct paper as "an old friend".

News International said it took the latest claims "very seriously and is
deeply concerned like everyone."



Rebekah Brooks Says Allegation Is 'Abhorrent'










John Whittingdale, the chairman of the Commons Culture Committee which questioned Mrs Brooks alongside Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch
about the hacking scandal said: "If this is true...it is horrifying but
perhaps unsurprising given who else appears to have been targeted."

Tom Watson, who sits on the committee said he would now ask his colleagues to
consider recalling James Murdoch, former NOTW editor Colin Myler and Tom Crone a
former legal manager for the paper.

Therese Coffey, who is also a member of the DCMS committee, told Sky News the
revelation opens "a dark new chapter."

Hacking Scandal: Police Launch Fresh Probe

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9:09am UK, Saturday July 30, 2011

Scotland Yard is widening its probe into illegal phone hacking by setting up
a team of officers to investigate a number of cyber crime claims.










The Metroplitan Police said there had been privacy breach claims since
January which fell outside the remit of Operation Weeting, which is looking into phone
hacking.

As a result, a new team of officers will investigate the latest computer
hacking claims and will report to deputy assistant commissioner Sue Akers, who
heads up Operation Weeting.

Meanwhile, the private investigator at the centre of the News Of The World
(NOTW) hacking claims acted "on the instructions of others", his legal team
said.

Glenn Mulcaire's lawyers strongly rejected suggestions
he "unilaterally" hacked into voicemails of victims without the newspaper's
knowledge.

In a statement, Mr Mulcaire's lawyers said he was "effectively employed" by
the paper from 2002.

He was subsequently jailed along with former NOTW royal editor Clive Goodman
in January 2007.



Glenn Mulcaire was instructed by others, it is claimed



The
mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne said she was "very distressed and
upset" after being told by detectives her mobile may have been targeted by
Mulcaire.

The Metropolitan Police informed her this week that her contact details were
found in notes compiled by the private investigator.

Sara Payne, who campaigned along with the paper for
tougher child protection laws, vowed to challenge "the bad apples head-on" and
play a proactive part in preventing the alleged incident from happening
again.

She said: "I can confirm reports that I was given a phone by the campaign
team and that my voicemail was only activated after my first aneurysm.

"Notwithstanding the bad apples involved here, my faith remains solidly
behind all the good people who have supported me over the last 11 years. I will
never lose my faith in them."

:: MPs Rule On Recalling Murdoch And Brooks

MPs Rule On Recalling Murdoch And Brooks

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5:39pm UK, Friday July 29, 2011


Ruth Barnett, political reporter



MPs have decided not to recall James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks for
another grilling about phone hacking - but warned them they may be asked
to return in the future.










Labour MP Tom Watson lost his bid to ask the pair to give more
evidence soon to the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee because
he was out-voted by the rest of the panel.


But Mr Murdoch, the chairman of News International, and Mrs Brooks,
who recently resigned as its chief executive, could be told they must
come back later, according to the cross-party committee chairman John
Whittingdale.


The committee met to consider the evidence they heard from Mr Murdoch, Mrs Brooks and News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch last week.


They decided to write to James Murdoch and Mrs Brooks to get clarification of the evidence they gave during the televised hearings.


Letters will also be sent to Colin Myler, until recently the editor
of the News Of The World; and Tom Crone, who recently left his job as
the paper's legal chief.







James Murdoch giving evidence to the committee on July 18





In response to the decision, a News Corp spokesperson said: "As
previously stated News Corporation welcomes public inquiries into
industry practices and will continue to co-operate with the work of the
CMS select committee."


MPs want to know why the pair said Mr Murdoch was "mistaken" when he
said he had not seen an email from 2008 - dubbed the "For Neville" email
- that the committee believe could prove he knew for years phone
hacking was widespread at the tabloid.


Mr Murdoch denies this and said he stands by his testimony.


The panel are also set to write to law firm Harbottle And Lewis, as
well as former legal executive Tom Chapman, to get more information.


Mr Watson, who has become Parliament's most outspoken campaigner on
this issue, said he had hoped to ask witnesses to come back to give
evidence in person.







MP Tom Watson grilled the Murdochs at the committee hearing





He said News International figures had only answered questions when
they were "dragged kicking and screaming" and he said letters may not be
enough to get the full facts.


Mr Whittingdale, agreed the "chances are" they would seek further
oral evidence from senior figures but wanted to get written information
first.


It is understood the panel is split between those who believe the
police inquiry must be given the space to pursue leads themselves, and
those who want to recall witnesses as soon as possible.


News International had always maintained phone hacking was carried
out by one "rogue" reporter, Clive Goodman, who was jailed after the
first police inquiry in 2007.


Earlier this year, the company handed over further evidence to the
Metropolitan Police who are carrying out a second investigation,
Operation Weeting.







MP Louise Mensch has apologised for misquoting Piers Morgan





Critics claim the practice was widespread and are keen to find out
when senior executives became aware of wrongdoing and whether they
allowed a cover-up.


All those grilled by the committee denied they knew about it until the fresh information came to light.


Meanwhile, Conservative MP Louise Mensch has apologised to Piers
Morgan for misquoting him during her questioning of Rupert and James
Murdoch at the committee hearing.


In a letter to Mr Whittingdale, she said she had "wrongly" stated the
former Daily Mirror editor had been open about personally hacking
phones in a book he wrote.


"Therefore, I must apologise to Mr Morgan and the committee for this error about his book," she wrote.