Murdoch’s News International Launches Probe Into All Its British Papers

Posted August 30th, 2011 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
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Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's British subsidiary, News International, has confirmed it is conducting a broad inquiry into reporting practices at all of the company's British newspapers. This comes in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal that hit his now-defunct News of the World tabloid.

Last month Murdoch closed down News of the World, once Britain's most popular Sunday paper. More than a dozen of the tabloid's journalists and executives have been arrested over claims that they regularly intercepted mobile phone messages and illegally paid police for tips.

News International says it launched an internal review a number of weeks ago, which will be carried out with the assistance of a London law firm .

The review of journalistic standards will look at News International publications – the Times, its sister-publication the Sunday Times and Britain's biggest-selling daily newspaper, The Sun.

News International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Murdoch's worldwide media conglomerate, News Corporation.

The review is being overseen by News Corporation independent director Viet Dinh and Murdoch advisor Joel Klein. Both have worked at the U.S. Justice Department.

Among those arrested in connection with the phone-hacking scandal were former News of the World editors Rebekah Brooks, who had also served as News International CEO, and Andy Coulson, who went on to head communications for British Prime Minister David Cameron before resigning in January. So far the two have not faced criminal charges.