Edinburgh TV Fest: Liz Murdoch Supports Sun's Publication of Naked Prince Harry Photos

EDINBURGH - Shine Group chairman Liz Murdochs aid here Friday that she agreed with the decision by The Sun, part of her father's News Corp., to publish naked Prince Harry pictures.

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Arguing that a "public interest argument" can be made for the publication, she told the Edinburgh International Television Festival that it would be bad if newspapers couldn't participate in something that has drawn the public's interest.

"We have all seen the pictures," Murdoch said. "Even I went online and checked out the pictures."

The Sun became the first U.K. newspaperto publish the pictures, defying requests by the Royals not to publish the grainycell phone images.

Hacked Off, which campaigns for press reform with such supporters as Hugh Grant, late Friday morning called the Sun's decision "flagrant proof that our national newspapers are incapable of regulating their own affairs"

Murdoch had in a Thursday evening speech here criticized the "dearth of integrity" of the U.K. media highlighted in the Leveson Inquiry. She said Friday that publishing the Prince Harry photos was a different question from questionable press behavior she had referred to with her comment on the lack of integrity.

She also said that she finds Prince Harry "cute" and "quite sweet, being careful" by covering up part of his body. Arguing that he was just a young man having some fun, she added that "I just feel bad for him" for all the controversy and attention the pictures caused.

In a Friday on-stage interview at the TV festival, Murdoch was asked about the photos in the context of how she would have decided if she was in charge of News Corp.

"Luckily I'm not in the position," she said as she launched into her response.

"I really harbor absolutely no ambition for that top job," Murdoch had said earlier in the interview when asked if she would like to run the conglomerate one day.

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai