UK minister faces questions over ties to MurdochReported by SeattlePI.com on Thursday, 31 May 2012 (on May 31, 2012)
|
UK minister faces questions over ties to Murdoch
Associated Press
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Updated 12:06 p.m., Thursday, May 31, 2012
LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister David Cameron's handling of Britain's tabloid phone hacking scandal faces new criticism after a minister assigned to make an impartial decision on a takeover deal by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. said his cozy ties to the tycoon's media empire were well known to the British leader. Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Hunt — the top minister in charge of London's 2012 Olympics — appeared Thursday before the country's press ethics inquiry amid questions over his conduct in deliberating on whether Murdoch's bid for a lucrative pay-TV provider should be approved. According to government convention, ministers are expected to rule on such issues with impartiality. The company's lobbyist Frederic Michel made 191 telephone calls and sent 158 emails and 799 texts to Hunt's office between June 2010, when News Corp. announced its bid to buy out other BSkyB shareholders, and July 2011, when the tabloid phone hacking scandal forced Murdoch to drop the plans. The fallout from the phone hacking scandal — and persistent disclosures from Britain's lengthy inquiry into media malpractice — are threatening to dog Cameron's leadership, which is already suffering amid sluggish economic growth. Critics suggest that close ties between News Corp. and British politicians were one of the key reasons that the company's newspapers — accused of malpractice including phone hacking and bribery of officials — were able to get away with wrongdoing for many years.
Links:  Full news story
|
|
|
| Recent related news |
| |
Proactive Investors
9 hours ago | *¤ YESTERDAY IN GOLD & SILVER*
The gold price chopped sideways through most of Far East trading... |
guardian.co.uk
12 hours ago | Almost £250bn worth of housing in capital at risk as flood defence budget cuts threaten homes and... |
guardian.co.uk
17 hours ago | Mary-Ellen Field could face legal bill in hundreds of thousands of pounds after two-year battle with... |
Zero Hedge
17 hours ago | · Mine union threatens to bring South Africa to 'standstill' (Reuters)
· Russia Raises Stakes in... |
guardian.co.uk
22 hours ago | Sun+ service predicted to result in drop in online ad revenue with NI also paying £30m-plus for... |
| |
guardian.co.uk
1 day ago | Allegations against former defence minister and his son emerge in papers obtained by Guardian
Two... |
Firstpost
3 days ago | LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron faced questions about his leadership on...Also reported by •Reuters India •Reuters |
guardian.co.uk
1 week ago | Reappraisal of Zimbabwean president coincides with plausible plotline of win in 'credible' elections... |
| |
|
|
Facebook
E-mail
Twitter
Mixx
StumbleUpon
FriendFeed