News International (Murdoch) admits phone hacking liability

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: Reuters

News International, parent company of the News of the World, on Friday admitted liability for the first time over widespread phone hacking cases and said it would pay compensation in some cases.

News of the World, Britain's biggest selling newspaper, came under fire over its use of phone hacking in a scandal that cost the former editor his later job as head of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron.
...
"Following an extensive internal investigation and disclosures through civil legal cases, News International has decided to approach some civil litigants with an unreserved apology and an admission of liability in cases meeting specific criteria," News International said in a statement.

"We have also asked our lawyers to establish a compensation scheme with a view to dealing with justifiable claims fairly and efficiently... We will, however, continue to contest cases that we believe are without merit or where we are not responsible."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/08/newscorp-idUSLDE7371L120110408

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See also:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13014161
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13011504

[FreakinDJ]

1. Cool - "Pay Offs" elimentate need for Criminal Penalties

Glad to see the Brits are adapting so well to RATpubliCON standards

[Ghost Dog]

3. Civil law proceedings or settlements should not affect criminal law

cases, as far as I know, in UK.

[goodnews]

2. Wikeleaks role in Murdoch story

Source: Guardian UK

Founder also confirms WikiLeaks has more than 500 US diplomatic cables on one broadcasting organisation

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, today said he is in possession of "insurance" files on Rupert Murdoch and his global media company, News Corporation.

WikiLeaks also holds more than 500 confidential US diplomatic cables on one broadcasting organisation, according to Assange.

Speaking to the campaigning journalist John Pilger for an interview to be published tomorrow in the latest edition of the New Statesman, Assange said: "There are 504 US embassy cables on one broadcasting organisation and there are cables on Murdoch and News Corp."

Assange refers to these specific cables as "insurance files" that will be released "if something happens to me or to WikiLeaks".

He said yesterday that the whistleblowers' site would "shortly" continue publishing its cache of 250,000 secret US embassy cables. Although the contents of these so far unpublished cables remain unknown, Assange told the New Statesman that they "speak more of the same truth to power".

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/12/wikileaks-r...

[drokhole]

6. I'm sorry, but this asshole needs to release this shit already...

...otherwise, Assange is no better than any other slimeball executive. In fact, he's worse. And what ever happened to those "devastating" BoA files? If he's seriously holding them for some kind of "insurance," that's horseshit. I was under the impression that Wikileaks was a forum for truth, not the insurance policy for another megalomaniac.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kelvin Mace]

14. Hmmmm...

A guy with 14 posts accusing a guy with 263 posts of being a troll?

Well, it's possible, but I agree with the poster, Assange should release what he has, otherwise he is complicit in whatever laws are being broken. You are either altruistic, or you aren't.

[goodnews]

15. Assange has no right to protect himself? The loathing and

vitriol toward Assange is bizarre, way overdone, by those who expect "perfect altruism". Unless of course it is an attempt to inflame anti-Assange sentiment.

[Kelvin Mace]

16. You are going to have t work harder

to point out were I was "vitriolic". I am not "anti-Assange", having donated money to support Wikileaks and defended publicly and privately. As such, I am entitled to have a view on how my money is used.

As to whether Assange has a right to "protect himself" by allowing crimes to go unpunished is certainly a point for debate ("needs of the many versus the needs of the few"), and my opinion, (which is just that, an opinion) he should release what he has. If he is afraid of the consequences, then he should turn the organization over to someone who isn't.

And before you claim that it is easy for me to say such a thing as it is not my ass on the line, understand that I speak from experience. I HAVE placed my ass on the line to expose criminal and corporate wrongdoing in the face of potential civil and criminal prosecution.

Either you do what is right, or you don't. If you are not up to the job, pass it on to someone who is.

Try turning down your outrage meter and reading what people actually say, not what you think they say.

[goodnews]

17. Nah, I don't believe you

You misread my post miserably, I never accused you of anything. It's obvious "vitriolic" was in general and toward drolhoke. As for the rest of it, I don't believe you. Your condescending attitude combined with a callous disregard for the safety of a "fellow" whistleblower makes what you have to say unbelievable.

[Kelvin Mace]

19. Uh, dude

don't talk about things you don't know.

The name is David Allen (not related to the DU admin), and I was involved in the whole Diebold debacle back in the day. I faced down lawyers from Diebold and Sequoia who were threatening me with DMCA prosecutions and civil copyright suits. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.

You have been on this board since last week, I have been here since 2002. You have also had postings deleted on this thread and you only have 19 postings to your name.

When it comes to credibility, mine's established, yours isn't.

[goodnews]

20. You act as if one has to have had a career at DU before they

can have any credibility on the subject. You know not one damn thing about where I've been before DU? You pre-judge based on a false premise then go on about all the things you have done and all he things I haven't. :eyes:

You certainly like to toot your own horn too. I just don't believe it, end of discussion.

[Kelvin Mace]

21. No, I judge you by your words

You storm on to this board and start making accusations about people's views (accusations which violated the rules of the board and were deleted).

Again, my credibility here is established, yours is not. I am not concerned whether you believe me or not.

[sasquuatch55]

22. pussy moderators! n/t

n/t

[Matariki]

4. Jail time fucker. NOT "compensation".

And shut down of your crap media.

[Botany]

5. The apologies and compensation is only because ....

... they were caught doing the acts. This was an on going criminal enterprise and
should be treated as such. I have little doubt that Murdoch was doing the same
in the states w/ Rove and the NSA helping him out.

[Uncle Joe]

7. It seems Murdoch has already been given the green light

to take full control of BSkyB.

Murdoch's News Corp, which also owns The Sun and The Times newspapers, was given the green light by the government to take full control of British satellite pay-TV group BSkyB last month.

I wonder if blackmails, coercion or inside knowledge from this phone hacking business over the years had any political or social effect on allowing them to take that pay TV group over?

Thanks for the thread, muriel_volestrangler.

[freshwest]

9. So, they toss a little tasty revenge fantasy to the public and carry on as usual...

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

8. I figure he'll buy his way out of this. nt

[Snoutport]

10. Apology over phone hacking scandal (Rupert Murdoch's Paper Admits to it)

Source: Guardian UK

News of the World publisher News International sought to draw a line under the phone hacking scandal today, apologising and admitting liability in a number of cases.

The company said it had instructed lawyers to set up a compensation scheme to deal with "justifiable claims" and said "past behaviour" at the newspaper was "a matter of genuine regret"

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/apology-over-phone-hacking-scandal-2265288.html

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They have set up a fund to start paying off the people who are suing them...before the cases go to court, it sounds like. Murdoch has been forced to admit to it but I think it is a ploy to get people to stop suing and to stop information from becoming public record in court.

I think they are trying to stop their higher level employees from being arrested by trying to get the cases to be withdrawn.

My guess? It is too late. Hugh Grant taped a Newscorp reporter (retired) who admitted to widespread hacking all the way up to the director of newscorp Rebekah Brookes. If Murdoch can't kill the lawsuits now, he loses his top henchmen...and his son is the one who wrote all the bribe and coverup checks.

[Lint Head]

11. This is criminal, period!

People need to go to jail. Unless there are cowardly officials investigating like we have in this country.

[alp227]

18. but of course News Intl=elite corporation and IMMUNE from criminal prosecution

and of course the ownership by Murky Murdoch. The moral of the story: if you've got the backing of -illionaires, you can get away with crimes...many ordinary people with extraordinary computer skills have actually been prosecuted for hacking. And the US government is going after that independent investigator Julian Assange who doesn't have any big media backing.