Ex-tabloid chief spills on links to UK's CameronReported by SeattlePI.com on Friday, 11 May 2012 (on May 11, 2012)
|
Ex-tabloid chief spills on links to UK's Cameron
Associated Press
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Updated 09:37Â a.m., Friday, May 11, 2012
LONDON (AP) — Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks — a pivotal figure in Britain's tabloid phone hacking saga — said Friday that Prime Minister David Cameron commiserated with her after she quit in the wake of the scandal. The 43-year-old Brooks, who resigned in July as chief executive of News International, Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper operation, told the country's media ethics inquiry of her close ties to those in power. Known for her striking red curls and meteoric rise from junior employee to editor at News of the World, Brooks acknowledged she had messages of support from politicians including Cameron and ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair when she stepped down. Brooks denied that politicians cultivated her friendship because she was a key conduit to Murdoch, but acknowledged her position offered wide access to political leaders, police chiefs and other British powerbrokers. Public revulsion at the tactics deployed to pursue the schoolgirl led Murdoch to shut down the 168-year-old News of the World in July, and saw Cameron set up the ethics inquiry, led by Lord Justice Brian Leveson. In a written statement to the inquiry, Brooks said "Tony Blair, his senior Cabinet, advisers and press secretaries were a constant presence in my life for many years." Brooks offered a potentially damaging new disclosure over a Cabinet minister's handling of a decision on whether News Corp. should be authorized to take full control of British Sky Broadcasting, a satellite broadcaster in which Murdoch's company already holds a 39 percent stake. The ethics inquiry previously published 163 emails sent by News Corp. lobbyist Frederic Michel on the takeover bid, which alleged that either Hunt or his office had leaked sensitive information to Murdoch's company and had indicated their support of the News Corp. case.
Links:  Full news story
|
|
|
| Recent related news |
| |
guardian.co.uk
7 hours ago | Before being accused of calling Tory activists 'swivel-eyed loons', party co-chair's was little known... |
guardian.co.uk
13 hours ago | The reporters must have known they were being a bit fly, but a story's a story, especially a story... |
guardian.co.uk
1 day ago | Anger over the financial affairs of multinationals such as Google, Amazon and Starbucks is gathering... |
Toronto Star
2 days ago | MOGADISHU, SOMALIA—Everyone in Mogadishu knew an attack was imminent. Double agents within Al... |
| |
|
|
Facebook
E-mail
Twitter
Mixx
StumbleUpon
FriendFeed