Lawmakers ask Murdoch son to clarify testimony

Lawmakers yesterday said it was likely that News Corporation’s James Murdoch would be recalled to clarify details about evidence on phone hacking he gave to a parliamentary committee, following claims his testimony was “mistaken”.The parliament’s culture, media and sport (CMS) committee has said it would be writing to Murdoch asking him for more details about evidence he gave earlier this month about phone-hacking allegations at the News of the World tabloid that has shaken his father Rupert’s media empire.The two Murdochs along with former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks appeared before the committee on July 19 when they were pressed about phone-hacking and payments to police by News of the World reporters.“We are going to write to ask for further details on areas where evidence is disputed,” said the committee’s chairman John Whittingdale. While the committee voted against immediately recalling Murdoch, chairman of British newspaper arm News International, Whittingdale said it was likely he would be recalled at a later date over claims some of his original testimony was wrong.Tom Crone, News International’s former top legal officer, and Colin Myler, editor of the News of the World until it was shut down earlier this month, have disputed some of James Murdoch’s evidence.Murdoch said he had not been in possession of all the facts when he approved a large payout to English soccer executive Gordon Taylor, one of the phone-hacking victims. But in a statement, Myler and Crone said they had told him of an e-mail from a News of the World reporter to “Neville,” containing transcripts of hacked voicemails.Neville Thurlbeck was the paper’s chief reporter when it published a story about Taylor.Whittingdale said the statement had “raised questions over some of the evidence that we have received” and they would also be contacting Crone and Myler. “If they come up with statements which are quite plainly different to those given to the committee by James Murdoch, we will want to hear James Murdoch’s response to that, and chances are that may well involve oral evidence again as well,” he said. News International’s then lawyers Harbottle and Lewis, whose actions have also come in for criticism, would also be asked for details of their work. Allegations of hacking at News Corporation’s British newspapers, in particular reports that journalists accessed the voicemails of murder victims, have triggered a judicial inquiry and calls from some politicians to cap News Corporation’s media ownership.It has already led to News Corporation dropping its $12bn bid for the 61% of pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB it does not own and put James Murdoch’s position in the spotlight.

‘Humble’ foam pie protester admits assaultA protester who threw a plate of foam at Rupert Murdoch during a parliamentary hearing into the phone-hacking scandal pleaded guilty in court to assault yesterday and quipped: “this has been the most humble day of my life.”  Jonathan May-Bowles, a comedian who uses the name Jonnie Marbles, was borrowing the phrase famously used by Murdoch when he appeared before a panel of lawmakers earlier this month. Speaking to a crowd of reporters and photographers outside court in London, May-Bowles raised a laugh when he said: “I would just like to say this has been the most humble day of my life.” The 26-year-old, from Windsor, west of London, hurled the “foam pie” at Murdoch’s face towards the end of a meeting of the parliament’s influential culture, media and sport committee. The 80-year-old’s third wife, Wendi Deng, who was sitting behind the media mogul, immediately jumped up and appeared to hit the attacker.  The parliamentary hearing was adjourned for 15 minutes and the room was cleared.