The News of the World hacking scandal is sending shock waves through the media and political worlds in Britain, and the ripple effect appears to be reaching across the Atlantic and may affect the crown jewel of the Rupert Murdoch‘s media empire, The Wall Street Journal.
The British paper The Guardian, which has been at the forefront of covering the unfolding story, is reporting that “attention is falling on [Dow Jones CEO] Les Hinton” as the scandal unfolds. The paper reports that during his tenure as executive chairman of News International, which publishes NOTW, Hinton appeared twice before Parliament and gave evidence “that now appears to be misleading.”
Hinton’s testimony dealt with the activities of former royal reporter Clive Goodman, who was subsequently jailed. He threw his support behind then-NOTW editor Andy Coulson, now in police custody.
A spokesperson at NewsCorp. declined to comment on whether Hinton has been contacted by British authorities. Hinton held his position at News International from 1995 until 2007.
Hinton has been at NewsCorp. for his entire career, joining the company as a reporter for the Adelaide News in Australia. At News International he oversaw The Times, The Sunday Times and the tabloid paper The Sun, as well as The News of the World.
Parliament member John Whittingdale, who chairs a subcommittee before which Hinton appeared, said that given the events of this week, Hinton’s statements “now look increasingly unconvincing”. But he added, “Les gave very clear assurances that he himself was not involved, and I have no reason to doubt that.”
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