Tom Watson, whose grilling of Rupert Murdoch was some of the best questioning by a lawmaker that I’ve ever seen, is going to refer James Murdoch’s testimony to the police. James denied that he had seen an email detailing the extent of blagging at News of the World when he signed off on a huge settlement there. As DougJ noted yesterday, Former NoW staffers dispute this claim, so it looks like young James’ attempt to appear completely out of touch with the huge settlements News Corp was paying might lead him to jail.
In other news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Justice Department is sending out subpoenas to see whether 9/11 victims had their phones hacked by the Murdoch papers. I don’t know if that happened, but the BBC is reporting that the FBI is wondering if Jude Law’s phone was hacked when he was in the US. I’ll bet money that he or some other celebrity was blagged by a News Corp paper when they were in the United States, and my guess is that this happened in other countries, too. So there are going to be more investigations, and News Corp is going to be wrapped around that axle for years.
While those investigations are going on, News Corp is going to be thwarted from its real goal: expanding its TV networks. Yesterday, Australia delayed a decision on a News Corp takeover of a cable network there.
This is all via the Guardian live blog.
PK
How soon before we find out a US politician’s phone was hacked? Which democrat will it be?
Cat Lady
I read this very popular children’s book on the advice of my daughter the teacher last year, who reads it to her class. We were commenting yesterday that it’s veering uncannily towards non-fiction.
The main plot driver, from Wiki:
“…by using subliminal messaging hidden in television, radio, cell phone signals, and almost any other signal that travels through the air, a man acting as a “Sender” can make people believe things causing them to imagine that there is an “Emergency” where there isn’t one.”
The book had a happy ending.
PeakVT
@PK: Spitzer.
beltane
The Law Society (British association for solicitors) was also hacked into by Murdoch’s goons. This is unfolding very much in the same way as Watergate. I wonder how many Democrats have been victimized by Murdoch’s Stasi?
EconWatcher
PeakVT’s guess is a very good one. Wall Street wanted Spitzer out. Could a murdoch paper (WSJ) have offered an assist? Not implausible.
The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
Be honest, mistermix.
You never would have known what the hell ‘blagged’ was if not for the movie Snatch.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
I don’t think Eat should have the s at the end.
rikryah
this is getting very interesting
Litlebritdifrnt
On Morning Joe this morning they were discussing a case where the Ad Division hacked into a competetor. The competetor sued in civil court and News Corp settled for 29 million. They were saying that there is no way the Murdoch’s did not know about settling a case for 29million.
alwhite
I only wish the death of the Murdock evil empire spelled the end of his type of ‘journalism’. Monday it will all be back to normal.
I guess we just have to enjoy the show as they slide down the razor blade of life. Hopefully England has ‘pound me in the ass’ prisons that James can play bitch in.
RalfW
This news is making my morning coffee taste extra good today.
arguingwithsignposts
@Litlebritdifrnt: Glad Morning Ho is keeping up with last week’s news. (NYT link)
Clambone
Standing ovation for your title.
Punchy
Yikes! That does not sound like a children’s book to me.
NonyNony
I wish that the News Corp blow up would cause us to take a step back and re-evaluate media consolidation in the wake of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and see how fucked up it’s been for all of us. Murdoch only has this much power in the US because of the changes in media ownership made possible by the Telco Act of 1996.
I also would like a pony. With a rainbow mane and a unicorn horn that can piss rainbows.
I think I’m more likely to get the pony.
R-Jud
It’s so delicious. As Keats once said: “Fuck ’em. Fuck ’em all.”
Or maybe that was Byron. Whatever, it’s the thought that counts.
Redshirt
@NonyNony
That, and re-instate Glass-Steagall. Another disastrous deregulation on behalf of the Tycoons, leading us directly to where we are today: Corporate sponsored insanity.
RalfW
Relatedly, in not-surprising news, the Guardian live-blog says
A nice dollop of e-mail hacking revelations in a few days would indeed add nicely to the tick-tick-boom sense of ever-expanding malfeasance.
RalfW
Oh, and has the WSJ put up its eighth full-throated defense of Rupe yet? I know the opinion page there has been to the right of Atilla the Hun for decades, but the daily Rupe-ass-licking this week has shown how degraded and debasing his ownership has been to even that bullshit corner of an otherwise (previously) good paper.
Just Some Fuckhead
It gets better..
NonyNony
@Redshirt
Oh hell yeah. But the fact that Glass-Steagall hasn’t been reinstated after the fucking Masters of the Universe drove us into a financial crisis is one of the things that tells me that Murdoch’s corruption isn’t going to be enough to get a re-evaluation of the Telco Act of 1996.
I see people agitate all the time about the Fairness Doctrine and I wonder if they understand that most of what they’re complaining about isn’t a result of the repeal of the FD but rather a consequence of the Telco Act of 1996.
JamieB
That is one hell of a headline. Kudos!
GregB
Has the esteemed Wall Street Journal started putting up a page three girl yet?
I think it is every liberals duty to degrade that rag at every possible turn.
I call it the Wall Street Enquirer now.
priscianusjr
@ 15. nonynony
Evinfuilt
@18 if they did email hacking then can we use the new dod statement that declares that as an act of war?
Evinfuilt
@18 if they did email hacking then can we use the new dod statement that declares that as an act of war?
pete
Hmmm, can the U.S. declare war on News Corp? I like the idea!
RalfW
Another pleasing Guardian tidbit:
Yutsano
@priscianusjr: Inslee has been a long-time pol up this way for awhile. He’s not perfect (in WA you have to suck at least some military dick in order to get elected) but he’s a solid Dem on a lot of issues. He’ll roll over McKenna for guv.
RalfW
Andrew Sullivan is such a useless twat. Today he writes (no linky for you) that b/c His Eminence Sir Rupe hasn’t ever personally interfeered in one of Andrew’s weekly twee rants in the Sunday Times, maybe Rupe doesn’t interfere.
His broader point has merit – that the fear of a powerhungry asshole like Rupe can cause journos to self-sensor even if Murdoch doesn’t personally lean on them. But it’s one thing to be cosseted in P Town and e-mail over a weekly screed, and another thing entirely to be in the news room at the New York Post:
Post publisher Paul Carlucci, while CEO of another Rupe company, News America Marketing, said
But I’m sure, Andrew, that he would only say that to web-site hacking sales people at the old company, and never to objective, both-sides-do-it journalists.
Ed Drone
While we’re looking into phone and email hacking, can we investigate the stolen environmental-scientist emails and their relationship to Murdoch? We saw “Climate-Gate” result from the heavily-edited release of some of these emails, and I suspect the heavy hand of Rupert and Co. in it all.
Bastards!
Ed
pattonbt
@RalfW: What Andrew (intentionally) doesn’t understand is that Murdoch doesn’t have to play heavy with him because he backs the party line of his own accord. Sullivan gets to live his cushy life as a self deluded “principled” “person of intellect”, where what he really is is a useful idiot who is hired to provide pretty prose whitewashing for evil.
Now let’s have Sullivan do an experiment (putting some skin in the game, his own skin). Have Sullivan start writing from a left leaning, even centrist, perspective and then see how long before Murdoch comes knocking at his door with a pink slip.