The Latest Media Scandal: Murdoch Finally Under the Gun?

Well, it's certainly proving to be a fine summer for the Europeans.
First, Silvio Berlusconi's sexual antics managed to make even Mark Sanford look like the archbishop of Canterbury.

Then there was that Wimbledon final. As we say over here: "Hard luck, Andy."

But now the Europeans have bested us where it hurts most: the media scandal.

You thought that whole WaPo dinner-with-the-stars thing was a bit outré? Move over, America. Let me tell you what a real media scandal looks like.

The Guardian broke a story revealing that Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers has paid out more than 1 million pounds in court costs after its journalists were accused of involvement in phone tapping. The journalists allegedly hired private investigators to hack into the mobile phones of public figures ranging from former deputy prime minister John Prescott to supermodel Elle McPherson, as well as numerous other politicians, sports stars and actors. The investigators allegedly gained access to all sorts of confidential information about these people, including tax records, bank statements and social security files.

Sure, this is England, a place where tabloids are famous for their Page Three Pinups and rather dubious methods for obtaining a good scoop. It's not for nothing that the News of the World is often nicknamed "Screws of the World." Should we really pay any attention to this?

But even one of Murdoch's former editors at the News of the World says that this scandal constitutes one of the major media stories of modern times. First, it suggests that such behavior -- if shown to be true -- was not the result of a few rogue reporters but a systemic policy in the newsroom, opening the paper up to the possibility of a class-action lawsuit. Second, the scandal also threatens to embroil the Metropolitan police -- who apparently did not alert all those whose phones were targeted -- as well as the Crown Prosecution Service, which did not pursue all possible charges against News Group personnel. Finally, even Conservative party leader David Cameron could be tainted by this one: The party's chief of communications, Andy Coulson, was an editor at the News of the World when the alleged wire-tapping took place.

Murdoch, for his part, maintains that he knew nothing about any of this. This morning, the Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee of the British Parliament announced it is launching an official investigation into the use of illegal surveillance techniques.


I must say that there was a point earlier this summer -- as I watched various prominent public figures in American life wander off the reservation -- that I wondered if Europe could still hold its own where scandals were concerned. But thanks to Rupert Murdoch and our dear friend Silvio, we can still hold our heads high.