News Corp might face computer hacking questions

PHONE SNOOPING MEDIA BUSINESS News Corp might also be quizzed over computer hacking allegations.

Rupert Murdoch's media empire, which has already had to sack staff, wave others off to prison, and close down a Sunday tabloid newspaper could face more accusations, according to a report at Bloomberg and Labour MP Tom Watson.

Watson told reporters that British police are looking at computer equipment belonging to private investigators that have worked for News Corp newspapers.

"In the U.K., the Serious Organised Crime Agency holds the hard drives of a number of those investigators. News Corp. is potentially facing Mulcaire 2," he said in reference to Glenn Mulcaire, the investigator who had been prosecuted earlier. The MP added that police were looking into at least one of three men's computers.

Watson was at a News Corp shareholder meeting, and used his time to throw a few questions about the investigations at Rupert Murdoch, who answered that his company was looking into the "rumours".

On the wider issue of phone hacking, Murdoch said that he wanted News Corp to be a principled company, causing some raised eyebrows amongst tailors that specialise as leopard outfitters,

"We cannot just be a profitable company, we must be a principled company," he said. "There are real issues that we must confront and are confronting. We could not taking this more seriously."

Watson too was unimpressed, and suggested that the board, and Murdoch, might not be telling its investors the full story about what happened at his firm.

"I want to leave News Corp. investors in no doubt that the scandal is not over," he said today. "I don't think the board has been fully straight with investors." µ