U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNOUNCES JUSTICE DEPT. INVESTIGATION OF NEWS CORP HACKING

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that the Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether the News Corporation hacked into the voicemails of 9/11 victims. The announcement came around the same time that Lee Hinton, resigned from his post as chief executive of Dow Jones, which publishes the Wall Street Hournal. Hinton was executive chairman of News International London from 1995 to 2007, the time frame when the News of the World was hacking phones. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission could add to the list of investigating agencies as under federal law, holders of television and radio station licences have to undergo a character test to show they are fit and proper media owners. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, another federal law, also prohibits foreign bribes to officials and the Sercurities and Exchange Commission has jurisdiction to conduct its own investigation which is widely thought to about to begin. In addition, the FBI has started its own investigation and it will include a probe into whether any of the News Corporations American operations engaged in any hacking. Also the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has started an on line petition to demand the truth from Rupert Murdoch.