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Murdoch tabloid under police investigation

Hasan Suroor

Allegedly used criminal methods to get stories
Media magnate denies any knowledge

LONDON: Media magnate Rupert Murdoch, owner of Star TV, was on Friday at the centre of a growing scandal after it was reported that one of his leading British tabloids News of the World had been involved in “criminal methods” to get stories.

Police launched an investigation into claims in a front-page splash in The Guardian that the News of the World hired detectives who hacked into mobile phone messages of “thousands” of prominent figures, including politicians and celebrities, to gain unlawful access to confidential personal data.

Andrew Neill, a former editor of The Sunday Times and one-time close associate of Mr. Murdoch, described it as one of the “most significant media stories of modern times.”

Those targeted were said to include London Mayor Boris Johnson, former deputy prime minister John Prescott and actor Gwyneth Paltrow.

Mr. Murdoch’s News Group, publishers of the News of the World, reportedly paid out more than £1 million to settle legal cases that threatened to expose evidence of its journalists’ “repeated involvement in the use of criminal methods” to obtain stories.

Mr. Murdoch, who also owns The Times, The Sunday Times and the Sun, denied any knowledge saying: “If that had happened I would know about it.”

The News International, the parent company of News Group, said it was “inappropriate to comment at this time.”

The scandal threatened to acquire political complexion as a former editor of the News of the World Andy Coulson is now the Tory leader David Cameron’s Director of Communications.

Mr. Coulson was forced to quit News of the World in 2007 after one of his reporters, Clive Goodman, was jailed for hacking into the mobile phones of three royal staff.

Details in The Guardian report emerged during a court case involving Professional Footballers’ Association head Gordon Taylor and the News Group. He sued the Group after a private investigator Glenn Mulcaire who worked for it admitted hacking into phones of a number of people including his.

Mr. Taylor received £700,000 in damages but on condition that he signed a “gagging clause” to prevent him speaking about the case. Similar deals were reportedly made with at least two other football figures.

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