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Tom Stoddart / Getty Images Contributor, file
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch talks with Gordon Brown at a party in 2007 as Murdoch's wife Wendi, left, looks on.
LONDON -- Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused media tycoon Rupert Murdoch on Monday of misleading a government-sponsored inquiry into press ethics with incorrect testimony alleging Brown had threatened war against Murdoch's company.
"This conversation never took place. I am shocked and surprised that it should be suggested," Brown told the Leveson inquiry. "This call did not happen. The threat was not made."
"I find it shocking," Brown said. "This did not happen. There is no evidence that it happened other than Mr Murdoch's, but it didn't happen."
Murdoch had told the inquiry under oath that Brown phoned him in September 2009 after the Sun newspaper started supporting the Conservative Party. Brown vowed to wage war on Murdoch's company in revenge, he testified.
"We were talking more quietly than you or I are now -- he said, 'Well, your company has declared war on my government and we have no alternative but to make war on your company,'" Murdoch told the inquiry in April.
When pressed on how a serving prime minister could make such a threat, Murdoch told the inquiry: "I don't think he was in a very balanced state of mind."
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair testified this morning about his close ties to media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who's News of the World tabloid is in the middle of a phone-hacking scandal. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.
Former top aide to UK PM David Cameron charged in perjury case
Brown, who served as prime minister from 2007 to 2010, said that Murdoch was wrong about both the date and the contents of the phone call. A spokeswoman for News Corp declined immediate comment.
Statements submitted to a media watchdog by five of Brown's advisers, and seen by Reuters, show none of the five heard Brown threaten Murdoch on the call.
Aides to Brown, including his special adviser, director of strategy and deputy chief of staff, said in statements submitted to the Press Complaints Commission last year that Brown made no such threat on the call, which took place in November not September as Murdoch had said.
"I listened to the phone call between Mr Brown and Mr. Murdoch in November 2009," Stewart Wood, special adviser to the prime minister's office, said in a statement dated October 2011 that Reuters has seen.
"At no point in the conversation was threatening language of any sort used by either Mr Brown or Mr Murdoch," Wood said.
A panel of British lawmakers have declared media mogul Rupert Murdoch 'not a fit person' to run a major international company. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.
In one of the other corroborating statement, lawmaker Michael Dugher, wrote: "At no time did Mr Brown threaten the position of News International. Both Mr. Brown and Mr. Murdoch were entirely courteous and calm."
A former British leader accusing Murdoch of misleading the inquiry under oath will further tarnish the reputation of the world's most powerful media tycoon in a country which is home to some of his biggest newspaper and broadcasting interests.
A British parliamentary committee which investigated allegations of illegal phone-hacking by Murdoch publications has already deemed the Australian-born tycoon unfit to manage a major global company.
The cross-party parliamentary committee said in May that Murdoch was ultimately responsible for the illegal phone-hacking that has corroded his global media empire and convulsed Britain's political elite.
The scandal erupted after revelations that reporters at Murdoch's News of the World tabloid routinely hacked voicemails. It has since spread to involve a range of other offenses and ensnared dozens of journalists, politicians, police officials and other public figures.
Rupert Murdoch not 'a fit person' to run major company, UK lawmakers say
Brown also challenged a version of events given by Murdoch's lieutenant, Rebekah Brooks, about a Sun report that Brown's four-month-old son Fraser had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
Rupert and James Murdoch are severely criticized after investigations into phone-hacking allegations - and three of their senior executives are accused of misleading parliament. ITN's Juliet Bremner reports.
Brooks, a close Murdoch confidante who was charged last month with interfering with a police investigation into the phone-hacking scandal, told the inquiry the Browns had given their backing to the story.
"I have never sought to bring my children into the public domain," Brown said. He denied his consent had been given to publish the story.
"I find it sad that even now in 2012 members of the News International staff are coming to this inquiry and maintaining this fiction."
Medical records hacked?
The former prime minister has questioned whether the paper had hacked into his son's medical records to get the story. Brooks has denied this and Murdoch has said the story was broken when a father of another child tipped off the newspaper.
"A father from the hospital in a similar position had called us, told us," Murdoch said in his testimony.
'War criminal': UK ex-PM Tony Blair heckled during inquiry into Murdoch scandal
But Brown told the inquiry that the National Health Service in Fife had apologized to his family because information about his son came from NHS staff.
"There were only a few medical people who knew that our son had this condition," Brown said.
Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and her husband, Charlie Brooks, have been charged with perverting the course of justice during the U.K. phone hacking scandal. ITV's Keir Simmons reports.
He said the NHS in Fife "now believe it highly likely that there was unauthorized information given by a medical or working member of the NHS staff that allowed the Sun through this middle man to publish this story," Brown said.
The Sun ran a story in July 2011 under the headline "Brown Wrong" which said the source of the story was a "shattered dad" who had a son with the genetic disorder and that Brown's wife, Sarah, had given the newspaper consent to run the story.
Brooks said on May 11 at the inquiry that a donation was made to the cystic fibrosis charity at the request of the man.
Reports: UK PM David Cameron leaves 8-year-old daughter in pub
But Reuters has seen a copy of a letter from the chief executive of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Ed Owen, saying the Trust found no record of any donation by The Sun or News International at the time of the story.
The Sun newspaper also reported that its readers had helped Cystic Fibrosis Trust double its donations in the wake of their story about Fraser. But the letter from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust showed they had seen no significant increase in donations.
Regardless of who the source was, the subject of a front-page story detailing the serious illness of a four-month baby is likely to prove unedifying and garner sympathy for Brown, who has rarely appeared in public since he left office in 2010.
'Pyjama party'
Murdoch described a relationship with Brown - whose political career effectively ended when he lost an election to incumbent Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010 - that included meals which their wives attended and conversations on topics ranging from charity to the war in Afghanistan.
Brooks told the Leveson inquiry she formed a friendship with Sarah Brown and that they had had a "pyjama party" at the prime minister's official country residence, Chequers, with Murdoch's daughter, Elisabeth, and his wife, Wendi.
But Murdoch said their relationship worsened after his media companies opposed Brown ahead of the 2010 election.
Actor Hugh Grant took a starring role on Monday in a London courtroom, where he testified at a public hearing about alleged phone hacking by British tabloids. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.
Brown told parliament in 2011 that News International was part of a "criminal-media-nexus" that had broken the law on an industrial scale.
Cameron is due to give evidence in a day-long session on Thursday.
Charlie Beckett, director of the POLIS media institute at the London School of Economics, said Cameron's judgment is likely to come under scrutiny, but warned those who expect the leader to be humbled are likely to be disappointed.
"It's difficult to see what the killer questions are. As the politicians have given evidence the inquiry's tone hasn't had that same feel of a trial, as it did when journalists were being questioned," he said.
The inquiry, which opened in September, has seen reporters and editors intensely grilled on media practices.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Hmm ... Murdoch lying? This is not surprising from a man whose US cable entertainment company LIES on air about all sorts of things. Maybe a much deeper inquiry is called for in THIS country into this man and his media empire here.
I'll give that a big AMEN! Yes, this country needs to do some serious checking into this low life organization. They are a propaganda machine for the far right. They've modeled themselves after George Orwell's "Ministry of Truth" -- the truth changes from day to day and they're constantly re-writing what happened yesterday. It's very sad that so many Americans are duped by these crooks.
the owner of Fox News not being truthful? ASTONISHING!!
Needless to say, this story is NOWHERE on Fox's website. Astonishing.
Yada yada yada. Yet as always the guilty go free with their billions.
So here's an idea, lets elect Mitt the liar. Sieg! Heil! our corporate masters.
Murdoch is the lying ass hole of humanity personified. I actually get sick when I watch FOX news. Just knowing how many mental midgets are taken by them is revolting. If there actually were a God I'm sure he would have been hit by a bolt of lightning long ago.
Rupert Murdoch is a typical conservative to whom the truth means nothing. I won't even call him a journalist, as he does no actual reporting of news, just media "spin."
IMO: he and his organization should be prosecuted for violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, since he and News Corp. bribed officials in a foreign country for the purpose of benefiting the company and profited by doing so.
The Murdoch empire should never have been able to grow to the size and influence that it achieved. This is a dangerous man that manipulated news, created fictional news articles and he should be denied any control of any news media anywhere on the planet. This is a prime example why anti trust laws should be legislated and enforced world wide. These "too big to exist" entities that include banking, insurance, energy, and news should never be allowed PERIOD. It is against the morality, freedom, and unfair control of the masses.
so lets see here...you have a media mogul who makes a living from "misleading" people alleging that a politician will make war on a company, which the politician denies as ever happening. Its a sad state of affairs when you don't know who to believe in this drama.
Exactly. The answer is that you can either believe neither of them, or both of them. Chances are they're both lying about something.
Rupert Murdoch is clearly an unscrupulous gangster who has no qualms about corrupting politicians and hiring morally bankrupt people like Roger Ailes to spread his evil message. Fox News is just one of the tools he uses to spread misinformation and lies. The Wall Street Journal used to be a respected news source until Murdoch's News Corp bought it and turned it into a megaphone for conservative propaganda.
He uses his money to feed false information into the minds of gullible people.
Machiavelli said, "The ends justify the means." But he meant it in the very broad, no pain no gain, sense. Murdoch has taken it to mean that any action can be justified about if it results in profits. And from that spring Murdoch's and his henchmen's actions that disregard any law or moral code and lie about everything concerned with doing it. According to Murdoch, the profits justify the methods used and the lies told.
But the bottom line remains: Murdoch knew of crimes and profited from those crimes.
But even more disgusting is the lengths to which his henchmen, both in Britain and in this country, have stooped to an even greater disregard of law, morals, and conventions and reached new heights in both the frequency of lies and the tenor of the lies themselves.
Murdoch should go to jail. ALL of Murdoch's companies should be investigated for both methods used and lies told. IOf they are innocent, they have nothing to hide! Murdoch's son and wife are entirely complicit and should be jailed as well. The next level of NewsCorp leadership, including the heads of all Murdoch-controlled media comaines, should be called to account, both as executives and leaders, but also for any criminal activities that might surface.
All companies going for profit lie. And we so sorely want to believe the lies too.
My new gold edition internet browser from GH-Boast is so pro-active. It can guess my internetbehavior of tomorrow! I so want to have that, the company told me... I even need it. I am so ahead of all those marketeers who try to sell me stuff. I can think for myself. What a neat browser I have bought for only 35 dollars a month! Next month I can upgrade it to even better performance. For only a small fee of course. What a great deal I made...
I have less than no sympathy for PM Brown. That's what he gets for consorting with crooks. I also have no sympathy for Mr. Murdoch. That's what he gets for consorting with fellow crooks. There is no honor among crooks.
From everything I've read on the subject, it seems as if the UK Government had plenty of reasons to wage war on Murdock's company for behavoir that was both unethical and criminal; isn't the real problem that the government chose not to go after them?
Mr Brown should remember that Mr Murdoch's entire existence has been built on "knowing what other people are doing" BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. There is probably a recording of this very conversation in the possession of Mr Murdoch that will "suddenly appear" somewhere soon. This "media mogul" has been AND CONTINUES to be the most despicable person alive in my opinion. AND THAT IS QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT CONSIDERING GEORGE BUSH JR AND DICK CHENEY ARE SECOND AND THIRD.
put this crook in jail.
Rupert Murdock may (should) be recorded in history's hall of infamy as one of the most powerful criminals of all time.
Apparently, Murdock's defense will be that: (a. he knew nothing of the misdeeds of his hired hands (b. he is the victim of a mentally unhinged powerful politician (i.e. Brown) (c. he and News Corp. have been politically attacked by the British Labour Party (and their allies).
Of course, Murdock (says he) did not know about the criminal misbehavior of those under his influence. Neither did Alphonse Capone. Neither did Charles Manson. Denials of (accountability for) and even (knowledge of) the misbehavior of subordinates (in the execution of their "professional" duties) is standard practice for petty criminal bosses as well as (and particularly) the elite aristocratic untouchable class (i.e. Murdock).
It is likely that ex-PM Gordon Brown is the most powerful among those besieging the fortifications around King Rupert. Who knows what Brown's motivations are (other than those already in the public domain)? It hardly matters given the growing mountains of evidence and disrepute being hung around Murdock's neck. Thus, Murdock surely realizes his gambit to paint Brown as an embittered political hack will likely fail. So, Murdock figures a better tactic will be to diagnose Brown as insane and assert that he (Murdock) is a victim of Brown's "unbalanced" paranoid delusions.
But, what shrewd Machiavellian, megalomaniacal, astronomically wealthy, global tycoon worth his weight in gossip would rest his defense solely upon his protestations that those who assail him are merely "nuts"? That would not be Rupert Murdock. No, Murdock's most powerful card is that he (and his corporations) have become political institutions in their own right (or, at least, allies of) and, as such, are the targets of "political warfare" waged by their political opposition (mainly liberals) for PURELY POLITICAL purposes. Murdock hopes, by this tactic, to thoroughly confound the political and judicial machinery within which he now finds himself ensnared. To this end, the political polarization he has been so instrumental in fostering (wherever he operates) is well suited. No doubt, he hopes to plunge England into a political bar fight which will provide him cover to stealthily slink out the back door.
Rupert Murdock is a fascist. But, he has taken fascism to a level heretofore unseen. Really, he is more like infamous characters from Ian Fleming's novels. Particularly, Murdock resembles Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who appeared in "Thunderball", in that both seem bent upon world domination. But, Murdock's News Corp (unlike Blofeld's "SPECTRE") is hardly apolitical. Rather, Murdock clearly has a sharply focused political agenda and it is classically fascist in nature.
Murdock will be a very difficult fish to fry. It is unfortunate that James Bond cannot materialize from the literary world and, in his inimitable ways, maneuver Murdock onto a one-way path to self destruction.
BTW and interestingly---Both Blofeld and Murdock studied economics and politics while in College.
Hmmm, the word of a politician versus the word of Rupert Murdock...
Normally a politician's word is highly suspect but I would trust them more than Rupert Murdock. On the Sleazometer, few can challenge him.
When will americans realize that fox news that is owned by this man is all right wing propaganda, distortions and lies ??? These people are bad news, believe me and they are not helping americans or their country !
They never will because the people that watch and believe Fox News are the people who are brain dead intellectually and only want to be told things they already believe irrespective of any facts. They just want to be told they are right even if they are flat out wrong.
These are the same type of people who lived next to Nazi Death Camps during WWII and claimed they were surprised that those things were going on in there and even after being paraded through said it had to be lies by the Americans. Same type of people.
They are they same folks who sooooo stupidly utter the words "ditto-head" to Rush Limbaugh. "Ditto" as in "I'm such a dolt I can't possibly have an original thought of my own"....so "ditto"... pathetic!
Murdoch and his medias are responsable for what is happening in america.. Responsable for all the hate toward President Obama that is not deserved at all.. Responsable for divising the people... the guy should be put in jail with his wife and son and all of his propaganda tools shut down. What is President Obama waiting for to have them arrested ?
You really don't care for Rupert do you?
Murdoch is getting old and demented. Could be he can no longer distinguish between falsehood, exaggeration and imagination. But as long as he has money he will be catered to. And like a drug dealer, he gets his money from a public that is hooked on their emotional fix. He knows how to tap into indignation and rage. Nothing unites like a common enemy, even if the enemy is a falsehood, exaggeration or comes from his imagination.
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Help the rich: vote Republican!
Send this lying old coot and his kid packing back to Aussieland. Yank Sky and Fox's ticket to pollute the public airwaves. Maybe then Shepard will decide to come out.
SOP for Murdoch and his organizations....Hell he and his mislead the weak minded 24/7 via his Dumb FUX channel....
Now he is launching a Spanish channel...
What you wanna bet it be used too mislead Spanish speaking people too help Republicans win elections...Just the Dumb FUX viewers are mislead....
Just recently, his Brazilian paper ran a headline that stated, 'Jews killed Jesus' and started an anti-seminism campaign in that country. In one week there were dozens of attacks on Jews. In the meantime, he's all twisted up in the Israel thing.
Therefore, I believe he does this type of thing for 1% entertainment (like that movie Rat Race). Probably sends out a monthly 1%'r global newsletter letting them know where to tune in to see how he pulls the fear and hatred disinformation chains that cause sheeple infighting on which they make bets........ Don't for a second believe that FoxxConn isn't his company, it is and the inhumane conditions his employees work under is a barometer on how much value he places on the 99%. The term Human Resources is absolutely the most insulting label given after the term 'worker.' You aren't an employee and you aren't 'person'ell, you are a resource to be used up and thrown out with the garbage. This is the sociopathic caliber of person our congress holds up to us a 'Job Creators.'
Yeah give them a name 'next to god' and everyone else is supposed to fall in line as their sheeple. GOPer congress, good example of sheeple. They point fingers at the president when our GDP, which they are responsible for, has dropped from 3.8 percent when they took office in 2010 to 1.8 percent in 2012. They block every jobs bill and have done nothing more then reinstate In God We Trust on our money which is constitutionally illegal to begin with. They are posers for the 1%, use religion when fear isn't effective enough and are now known globally as the 'Austerity Party.'
Not a peep from the 'hill' where his GOPer owned politicians are housed. He is eligible for charges under the RICO Act and his paid politicians have PREVENTED any inquiry here in the US. His evil global media empire has reeked havoc here in the United States, a propogandist who has helped to create a third world voting system in the US, a dissenter of democracy, pluocracy is his goal while spewing disinformation 24/7, on Fox & Bullies. This man is a piece of garbage who believe EVERYONE is expendable beyond his immediate family. He gets US citizenship so he doesn't have to pay taxes, like all US 1%'rs, these crap pile families cost the US 99% billions upon billions each year in support. They are like gigilo's living off the taxpayers while they pretend to be Saints of Charity, like Gates and Dell and Jobs. This man is personally responsible for crimes against humanity, promoting the Oil Robber Baron wars for Bush and Rice, no more then a self-serving propagandist. Off with his head! The sun will shine brighter and the world will be a better place when this thief and his spawn have been removed from the gene pool, including his female counterpart, Wendi, the Wicked Witch of Australia. Despicable.
Just a matter of time before Faux Nuze is sold off. Good riddance.
When is the FCC going to look at Faux News and pull their license for deceptive reporting? They are not only worthless, they are dangerous! They stir up the rabid-right with the most heinous - yet obvious deceptions - distortions! "quote clippling!" misleading videos - outright lies ....all slipped in with a set full of gorgeous gams being crossed-uncrossed-crossed again and short skirts that are frequently being hiked a little higher if the point they're trying to make is a little limp that night!
Where are the Dittoheads didn't see any in the comment section yet. Must be waiting for their astrotufing orders from on high, 'cause you know they can't be accused of having an independent thought.
Wow, I was calling them Koch Khecks, but they are just Ruperts Rump Kisser's. I know his supporters can't see that he is a ambalance chaser in a mini skirt. Now it is clear why they let him go from down under. They didn't want his stuff there.
and correct me if I am wrong-- wasn'r Rupert Murdoch caught issuing
some kind of ultimatum to a Republican governor?