Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, is in deep trouble.
Reporters at a Murdoch-owned newspaper in Britain hacked into a 13-year-old kidnapping victim's voicemail to get tabloid gossip, even deleting messages to make room for new messages. Their actions led her parents and police to believe she was alive. But she wasn't—she'd been murdered.1
It appears Murdoch's reporters regularly hacked into the cell phone accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities, and crime victims.2 And news just broke that they may have even hacked the phones of 9/11 victims.3
It's now clear that it was standard operating procedure at Murdoch's media outlets, that top management knew about it, and that this is just another example of News Corp's corrupt corporate culture.4
With Murdoch backpedaling, Congress needs to get to the bottom of this scandal—to find out what Murdoch knew and when he knew it—and to hold anyone who broke U.S. law accountable.
The story has been snowballing over the last few days. The newspaper under fire just had to close its doors. And yesterday, Murdoch had to withdraw his bid to take over the largest satellite television provider in Britain.5
Progressive groups—including Media Matters, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and Think Progress—have been leading the fight to hold Murdoch accountable. And it's working.
Some key senators and members of the House have joined the call for an investigation.6 And because reporters may have been bribing British police officers, News Corp. may be criminally liable under U.S. law.7 Your petition signature will be delivered along with those of other MoveOn and CREDO Action members to keep up the pressure and make sure an investigation happens.
Rupert Murdoch is extremely powerful—in the U.S. alone he controls Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, Dow Jones, 20th Century Fox, and dozens of other outlets.8 But in America, power should never be able to avoid accountability.
These are serious charges, and may only be the tip of the iceberg. We need a full and fair investigation to find out if any U.S. laws were broken and to hold the wrongdoers accountable.
Thanks for all you do.
–Daniel, Michael, Elena, Laura, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Missing Milly Dowler's voicemail was hacked by News of the World," The Guardian, July 4, 2011
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2. "News of the World phone hacking scandal," Wikipedia, Accessed July 13, 2011
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3. "Did News Corp. also hack 9/11 victims' phones?," CBS News, July 13, 2011
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4. "Police told News Corp's Brooks of malpractice: Brown," Reuters, July 13, 2011
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http://www.moveon.org/r?r=
5. "News Corp. Drops Bid for BSkyB," The New York Times, July 13, 2011
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http://www.moveon.org/r?r=
6. "Senators Call for U.S. Probes of News Corp.," Bloomberg News, July 13, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=
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"King wants News Corp investigation," Politico, July 13, 2011
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http://www.moveon.org/r?r=
7. "Prosecute News Corp.," Slate, July 12, 2011
http://www.slate.com/id/
http://www.slate.com/id/
8. "News Corporation," Wikipedia, Accessed July 13, 2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
The source said agents are trying to determine if there is a basis for a full investigation and are reviewing materials sent to the FBI by members of Congress and other sources. It is unclear if U.S. law enforcement officials have jurisdiction to bring charges, the source said.
Several U.S. lawmakers called Wednesday for investigations into whether Rupert Murdoch’s British media operations violated U.S. laws.
Following a British newspaper’s report that Murdoch’s London-based journalists had tried to tap into phones of victims of the attacks, Democratic Sens. Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Robert Menendez (N.J.) and Frank Lautenberg (N.J.) urged federal agencies to examine whether any U.S. phone accounts were hacked.
The critics also included the first prominent Republican, Rep. Peter King (N.Y.), who ripped Murdoch’s “yellow journalism” in a letter to FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III requesting an inquiry. King chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The unfolding scandal has imperiled Murdoch’s British operations, leading to the withdrawal Wednesday of his $12 billion offer for the country’s largest satellite television operator, British Sky Broadcasting Corp. But it so far hasn’t touched his much larger and more profitable U.S. holdings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
FBI examining alleged News Corp. phone hacking
By Jerry Markon,
The FBI has opened a preliminary review into allegations that News Corp. employees sought to hack into the phones of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, according to a source familiar with the probe.The source said agents are trying to determine if there is a basis for a full investigation and are reviewing materials sent to the FBI by members of Congress and other sources. It is unclear if U.S. law enforcement officials have jurisdiction to bring charges, the source said.
Several U.S. lawmakers called Wednesday for investigations into whether Rupert Murdoch’s British media operations violated U.S. laws.
Following a British newspaper’s report that Murdoch’s London-based journalists had tried to tap into phones of victims of the attacks, Democratic Sens. Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Robert Menendez (N.J.) and Frank Lautenberg (N.J.) urged federal agencies to examine whether any U.S. phone accounts were hacked.
The critics also included the first prominent Republican, Rep. Peter King (N.Y.), who ripped Murdoch’s “yellow journalism” in a letter to FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III requesting an inquiry. King chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The unfolding scandal has imperiled Murdoch’s British operations, leading to the withdrawal Wednesday of his $12 billion offer for the country’s largest satellite television operator, British Sky Broadcasting Corp. But it so far hasn’t touched his much larger and more profitable U.S. holdings.
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