UK police investigate Murdoch paper hacking claims

Murdoch bought the Wall Street Journal within the last year or so. He is extremely rich and powerful, which may be the reason I haven't seen much coverage of this on the web news sites. Actually, I have seen no coverage. I only found this by doing a search on a news site, after seeing mention of it on the feed of one of the blogs I follow.

http://www.reuters.com/article/mediaNews/idUSL943329420090709

Thu Jul 9, 2009 7:15am EDT
By Peter Griffiths

LONDON, July 9 (Reuters) - Britain's most senior policeman ordered an inquiry on Thursday into reports that journalists at Rupert Murdoch's bestselling British newspaper conspired to hack into the phones of celebrities, legislators and public figures.

London police chief Paul Stephenson said a senior officer will investigate allegations in the Guardian newspaper that News of the World reporters worked with private investigators to access "two or three thousand" private mobile phones.

The publisher of the News of the World, Sun and Times newspapers has made no comment.

Former British deputy prime minister John Prescott, U.S. actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Australian model Elle Macpherson were among those targeted by reporters seeking exclusive stories for the tabloid, according to the report.

"I have asked Assistant Commissioner John Yates to establish the facts of that case and look into the detail," Stephenson said. Yates led a long-running investigation into the so-called "cash for honours" scandal that overshadowed the end of Tony Blair's premiership.

The Guardian said private investigators working for the News of the World intercepted voicemail messages and gained access to personal data such as itemised phone bills and bank statements.

Ruling Labour Party politicians called for an inquiry into the role of the police, Murdoch's newspapers and the opposition Conservative Party, which hired former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as its communications chief in May 2007.

Coulson resigned as the paper's editor after royal reporter Clive Goodman was jailed a few months earlier for hacking into the phones of members of the royal family's household.

News International, the British newspaper subsidiary of media company News Corp (NWSA.O), has already paid 1 million pounds ($1.61 million) to settle court cases with three people -- including football executive Gordon Taylor -- whose phones were violated, the Guardian said.

"The enormity of this is just unbelievable and raises many, many questions," Prescott told the BBC.