Murdoch Admits Missing Hacking 'Cover-up'

Summary: 

Rupert Murdoch told the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics, that he and his senior executives were misinformed and insisted that the phone-hacking cover up at the News of the World was kept hidden from him. He also claimed that a company lawyer forbade staff to report phone hacking and that the editor had failed to report back.  He regretted the scandal as it will affect his reputation for the rest of his life. Mr Murdoch urged not to over-regulate the press for by doing it it would disable press. In his belief, both newspapers’ quality and mistakes avail society.

Commentary: 

Over-regulation of the press my indeed result in an unhealthy situation where the media cannot fulfil its function of reporting freely. However, crossing the boundaries of ethics and legislation is another mater altogether. Mr Murdock’s claim, that he was misinformed, holds no ground for as a head of the company he should be accountable for its actions. A clear set of legislation rules that can be maintained and overseen, could help to improve the overall quality of the media. Economic profit and entertainment should always be secondary to morals and ethics. Alas, that is easier said than done. 

The information was retrieved on April 26th 2012 from the BBC news website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17850093 article 'Leveson Inquiry: Murdoch admits missing hacking 'cover-up '