James Murdoch: I didn't know about phone hacking

LONDON?? Senior News Corp. executive James Murdoch insisted Thursday he told the truth when he said he knew nothing of the widespread culture of phone hacking at its British newspaper division.

The News International chairman was being quizzed for a second time in Britain's parliament on Thursday over the scandal that has shaken his father Rupert's media empire.

Murdoch, 38, repeated his earlier assertion that he wasn't told of widespread wrongdoing at the News of the World tabloid when he took over at News International in 2008.

He also blamed other senior News Corp executives for not telling him more about potential evidence of widespread phone-hacking at the title, which was forced to close in July amid public outrage over the practice.

'Clean things up'
Murdoch, who is fighting to keep his place in his father Rupert's media empire, said he was ill-informed by then-editor Colin Myler and should have been told more when he approved a large payoff to a hacking victim.

"This was the job of the new editor who had come in... to clean things up, to make me aware of those things," said Murdoch, appearing confident under tough interrogation by lawmakers.

News Corp. long maintained that the hacking was the work of a lone, "rogue" reporter and a private detective who both went to jail for the offence in 2007. Murdoch approved the payoff to hacking victim and soccer boss Gordon Taylor in 2008.

Video: Murdoch?s future remains in jeopardy (on this page)

Although James Murdoch has long insisted he knew nothing of the culture of criminality whose exposure has been called "Britain's Watergate," mounting evidence suggests otherwise.

Blind-sided?
James Murdoch has repeatedly insisted that he was blind-sided by the scandal at what was once his company's most powerful tabloid.

Revelations that journalists routinely intercepted the voicemails of public figures, including celebrities, politicians, police, and even crime victims caused a public storm, forcing the sudden closure of the News of the World and scuttling its parent company's multibillion-dollar bid for full control of satellite broadcaster BSkyB.

Myler and Tom Crone, the former legal chief of the News of the World, have contended that they did made Murdoch aware in 2008 that Taylor had in his possession transcripts of hacked phone conversations that seemed to implicate other journalists.

However, Murdoch reiterated on Thursday that Myler and Crone had not shown him the transcripts, contained in an email dubbed the "For Neville" email, and said Crone had misled parliament.

Opposition Labour Party MP asked Murdoch: "Do you think Mr Crone misled us?" Murdoch answered: "It follows that I do, yes."

Murdoch denied he himself had misled the parliamentary select committee, although he did express some regret, in contrast to his July appearance before the committee.

"At various times, and I am sorry for this, the company moved into an aggressive defense too quickly," he said.

Timeline: Tabloid stir: Phone-hacking scandal intensifies (on this page)

James Murdoch was brought into News International after the date of the last known phone-hacking, but has been accused of failing to ask the right questions at least, and possibly of participating in a huge corporate cover-up.

He is currently deputy chief operating officer of News Corp. with responsibility for all its non-U.S. business, and was until recently expected to take over sooner or later from his father, who is chief executive. He is also still chairman of News International, News Corp's British newspaper arm.

An admission by News International this week that the News of the World ordered the surveillance of lawyers representing hacking victims as recently as this year have added to the impression that the culture may not have changed significantly.

Paul Connew, a media commentator and former tabloid editor, expressed some sympathy with James Murdoch, noting that the fresh-faced TV executive had just taken over his father's UK newspaper business when the Taylor settlement was arranged.

"It's quite possible that people didn't actually level with James Murdoch," Connew said. "He's under more pressure now than he's ever been," Connew said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45236519/ns/business-world_business/

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