Hacking scandal: Murdoch must give answers

In the aftermath of the phone-hacking scandal in which the tabloid News of the World was implicated James Murdoch, executive chairman of News International, must face a second interrogation regarding what he knew by the British parliament's media committee today, Thursday. The MPs must put the thumbscrews on him, the liberal daily The Independent demands: "MPs will need to ask whether it is credible that he would have authorised the payment of £725,000 [around 850,000 euros] to one hacking victim without informing himself of the facts of the case. This included advice from a QC who warned of the 'overwhelming evidence of the involvement of a number of senior journalists in the illegal inquiries', not just one 'rogue reporter', as Mr Murdoch claimed. It's now clear that he was either untruthful in his last evidence or that he displayed a lack of interest in detail bordering on complacency or incompetence before authorising such an astronomical pay-out."

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