James Murdoch Testifies in Leveson Inquiry in UK
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Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images(LONDON) — Rupert Murdoch and his son James are appearing before a British inquiry about press standards less than a year after being questioned at a parliamentary special committee over evidence of phone hacking at their defunct tabloid News of the World.
The widening hacking scandal rocked the media and police in a country where Murdoch owns many of the largest newspapers.
James Murdoch is appearing first on Tuesday and Rupert Murdoch is scheduled to appear Wednesday and Thursday morning if necessary, the Guardian reported.
According to Hugh Tomlinson of the Queen’s Council, the now defunct News of the World allegedly hacked the phones of 4,791 people, from stars to crime victims, to get juicy stories — all with the encouragement of top editors at the paper and aided by some in the police force.
Rupert Murdoch is also expected to be grilled over allegations of impropriety at his other newspapers.
In February 2012, five employees of the British newspaper The Sun were arrested for allegededly making payments to public officials. Four former and current Sun journalists were held in January, the BBC reported.
The Leveson inquiry, initiated by British Prime Minister David Cameron following the phone-hacking scandal, has heard from more than 100 witnesses since evidence hearings began in November, the Guardian reported.
Rupert Murdoch made a rare apology in British newspapers last year before echoing the sentiment at a parliamentary hearing.
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