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Murdoch goes into damage-control mode London, July 9 Cameron turned on Murdoch’s son James, saying there were questions “that need to be answered” about his role during the phone-hacking cover-up, and criticising him for not accepting the resignation of News International’s chief executive Rebekah Brooks. He also admitted that his desire to win support from the company’s newspapers had led him to turn “a blind eye” as evidence grew of widespread illegality at the News of the World. With a newspaper closed, five arrests and more to follow, 4,000 possible victims, a media empire shaken to its foundations and the Prime Minister reeling, the escalating scandal has become a controversy comparable to the US Watergate saga, with ramifications for Downing Street, the media and police. Last night the media regulator Ofcom announced it would contact police about the conduct of Murdoch’s empire in covering up hone-hacking allegations, to determine whether it was a “fit and proper” owner of the broadcaster BSkyB, which Murdoch is attempting to buy outright. He is due to fly into London today to deal with the crisis, according to reports. Shares in the broadcaster fell by 8 per cent.Meanwhile, Murdoch is scheduled to arrive in London tomorrow to deal with the phone-hacking crisis while journalists prepared the last edition of a newspaper they say he is sacrificing to safeguard his plans to expand his media business. The planned visit of the News Corp chief executive coincided with calls on Prime Minister David Cameron to speed up an inquiry into the scandal, which could jeopardise Murdoch’s proposed takeover of a British broadcaster and has raised questions about relations between media and politicians. News Corp declined to comment on 80-year-old Murdoch’s agenda. The Guardian newspaper reported on its website that the police was investigating evidence a News International executive may have deleted millions of emails from an internal archive in an apparent attempt to obstruct investigations. The News International spokeswoman said the allegation was “rubbish”. “We are cooperating actively with police and have not destroyed evidence.” Journalists working on Sunday’s last edition of the News of the World were angered by the loss of their jobs, saying they had been made scapegoats to protect NewsCorp’s expansion in television. “There are 280 journalists there who have absolutely nothing to do with the things that may have gone on many, many years in the past,” chief subeditor Alan Edwards told the British Broadcasting Corporation. — Agencies
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