Phone Hacking: James Murdoch Admits 'Hush Money' Payout

[Hissyspit]

Source: Telegraph UK

Phone hacking: James Murdoch admits 'hush money' payout

James Murdoch has admitted that News International paid “hush money” to a phone hacking victim, despite telling MPs that they didn't try to buy his silence.


By Holly Watt
9:09AM BST 17 Aug 20111

Mr Murdoch conceded that Gordon Taylor, chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association, was paid around £700,000 in 2008 in return for signing a confidentiality agreement.

- snip -

The admission that money was paid to ensure Mr Taylor’s silence is likely to exacerbate claims that News International tried to cover up the scale of phone hacking at the News of the World. Mr Murdoch also admitted that News International paid a convicted criminal almost £250,000 after his employment was terminated.

Clive Goodman was given £90,503 in April 2007, three months after he was jailed for his part in tapping the phones of the Royal family. He was later given a further £153,000 and £13,000 for legal fees. Tom Watson, one of the members of the culture, media and sport select committee, said MPs were “genuinely shocked” by the scale of the payment to Goodman.

- snip -

But in a subsequent letter to MPs, Mr Murdoch admitted that “since I gave this response, I have been informed that confidentiality was a factor in determining the amount of the settlement payment”.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8705902/Phone-hacking-James-Murdoch-admits-hush-money-payout.html

[ixion]

1. I believe the call that perjury, Mr. Murdoch

[eShirl]

2. HA!

crumble crumble crumble

[xchrom]

3. Recommend

[Firebrand Gary]

4. K&R +1000

[drm604]

5. K&R

:kick:

[Volaris]

6. Oh for gods sake...

It becomes more and more apparent every day that RICO charges need to be filed..

[Liberalynn]

15. exactly but will they be?

We can only hope!

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. He'd have had to be a moron to think it was anything but hush money

Gordon Taylor was not particularly famous (my guess is Murdoch would have had to be told who he was), and I don't think there were ever stories printed about him that invaded his privacy significantly. There was no way he'd have been awarded hundreds of thousands for invasion of privacy in any court. The point was, as head of the footballers' union, a lot of celebrity footballers would have called him, and left messages about problems they had (new contracts, moving clubs, needing help in hushing up embarrassing stories ...).

So Murdoch, on being asked to OK a payout of hundreds of thousands, would have reacted with "why the hell are we offering so much to a nobody that our readers have never been interested in reading about, and that we've never printed personal stories on?" And they'd have told him it was to stop him talking. Either that, or James Murdoch is so unsuitable to run a company that he doesn't ask what his subordinates are doing, and just signs everything in front of him.

[Uncle Joe]

8. I believe you make a good point, muriel.

Gordon Taylor was not particularly famous (my guess is Murdoch would have had to be told who he was), and I don't think there were ever stories printed about him that invaded his privacy significantly. There was no way he'd have been awarded hundreds of thousands for invasion of privacy in any court. The point was, as head of the footballers' union, a lot of celebrity footballers would have called him, and left messages about problems they had (new contracts, moving clubs, needing help in hushing up embarrassing stories ...).

Had Gordon Taylor come forward, the information dam would have broke on all the others; communicating to him, who were essentially tapped as well.

I have a feeling they're just looking at the tip of the iceberg in regards to the pervasiveness of this tapping, certainly on British society and I would wager a similar M.O. was used in the U.S. as well.

[Stuart G]

9. Rec...Hush Money..sounds familiar to me..now where did I hear that before?

Something about a break in at the Watergate complex. l972?? was that correct?
hush money... but the big guy didn't know...did he???............hmmm

Here is a synopsis of Watergate..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal

[Overseas]

10. K&R.

[gratuitous]

11. But the Murdochs are really, really wealthy

You can't expect them to remember nickel-and-dime payouts like £700,000, especially doled out in little chunks over the course of several months. Golly, can't the Murdochs get a break at all? They're so beleaguered. They just want their lives back, that's all. Can't you vultures just leave them alone? I mean, they didn't ask for all this publicity, you know.

[Playinghardball]

12. James Murdoch admits News Corp. paid off convicted criminal

Source: Raw Story

The son of Rupert Murdoch has admitted in a letter to British lawmakers that he authorized large payments to a convicted criminal, seemingly in exchange for his silence about his company's activities.

Under questioning by members of Parliament last month, James Murdoch, CEO of News International, said he was not aware that confidentiality played any role in settlement payments amounting to £256,503, given to former News of the World royal correspondent Clive Goodman, and another payment of over £700,000, made to Gordon Taylor, a hacking victim and chairman of the U.K.'s Professional Footballers’ Association.

Following revelations by a recently released letter Goodman wrote in 2007, accusing top News Corp. officials of openly discussing their hacking efforts during editorial meetings, Murdoch amended an earlier statement to Parliament, writing, "I did not know at the time or when I gave my evidence that any part of the amount of the Taylor settlement specifically related to the confidentiality aspect of the settlement."

Murdoch added that he was "not party to" discussions about either settlement, despite making the ultimate decisions to issue payment. It still remains unclear whey exactly Taylor was paid such a large amount, compared to other News Corp. hacking settlements. Murdoch still maintains he did not sign off on the payment to prevent more details about the hacking scandal from leaking out.



Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/17/james-murdoch-admits-news-corp-paid-convicted-criminal-for-silence/

[global1]

13. Yeah - Right!!!!!!!.....nt

[GliderGuider]

14. Sorry, Jimmy...

"I did not know at the time or when I gave my evidence" is simply not credible. If it's false you're a liar. If it's true you're incompetent. It's a fail any way you look at it.

[Kingofalldems]

16. Kick for all the Fox fans stopping in