The Senators issued their call in a joint press release and letter to the Dow Jones Special Committee on journalistic integrity made part of the Murdoch acquisition. The committee was created to oversee acquisition and assure that DJNS and the WSJ not suffer degraded integrity and journalistic standards due to the sale of the properties to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. (Image: Guardian "denials" video)
The Home Committee report authors deliver a scathing critique of News reporter intrusions into voice mails and other private information sources of citizens. It also criticizes the police for their lax investigations and for taking money from the News Corporation publications in return for insider information on newsworthy criminal cases.
Last Wednesday, Senator Rockefeller raised concerns about News Corporation practices in the United States. Based on what he'd seen of their journalistic and ethical conduct, he said that federal authorities should investigate News Corporation's United States operations to see if there was any phone hacking or other surveillance of 9/11 families, particularly those of survivors. Economic Populist coverage can be seen here:
The Senators noted surprise that a recent Dow Jones Special Committee statement, "appears to foreclose any further investigation, despite the fact that the former chief executive officer of Dow Jones and former publisher of the Wall Street Journal served as the top official at News International while illegal phone hacking occurred at its newspapers."
Senators Boxer and Rockefeller outlined three sets of questions that they want answered:
1) Will the Special Committee conduct a broader investigation that includes an examination of whether current or former senior Wall Street Journal or Dow Jones executives had knowledge of or a role in alleged criminal activity at News Corporation publications?
2) Did the Special Committee investigate Mr. Hinton’s knowledge of alleged criminal activity at News International before or after he was named publisher of the Wall Street Journal and CEO of Dow Jones?
3) Did any member of the Special Committee or other senior executives at the Wall Street Journal or Dow Jones express any concerns regarding the hiring of Mr. Hinton given his role in overseeing News International’s News of the World when its employees engaged in criminal phone hacking? Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator John D (Jay) Rockefeller
When the scandal broke initially, the Guardian raised noted that Hinton led the failed internal investigation into phone hacking for the News.
As the controversy grew and Hinton's name and activities gained more prominence, he either resigned on his own or was "resigned" with a handsome package to assure that he won't have to alter his standard of living.
The Wall Street Journal and DJNS are far and away the most prestigious media holdings in Murdoch's multinational collection. Hinton was a problem and a resignation was not the solution. The door is now open to a US Senate investigation, as requested by the two Senators.
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Senators John D. (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) called for a thorough investigation of Dow Jones News Service and the Wall Street Journal amid ongoing revelations of illegal activities by News Corporation's largest United Kingdom publication,
If only they would investigate MNCs and their lobbyists
to this extent. Sorry but the corporate cash cow that is destroying the U.S. from within I think is much more important.
Not that Murdoch's stranglehold on media and it's power and spin isn't important, but when have we heard a huge hearing on how Bill Gates managed to get his own Senate "hearing", where he "testified" a slew of lies to a committee?
That seriously happened. See any worker get their own personal Senate hearing describing the destruction of work culture in the U.S.?
Not on your life.