News Corp scandal divides US along party lines [View All]

Claims of illegal attempt to gain 9/11 victims' numbers bring outrage from Democrats and caution from Republican---


The battle over Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is splitting American politics along party lines, with senior Democrats calling for investigations into the company while some senior Republicans play down the crisis.

Allegations that News International reporters may illegally have attempted to obtain the phone numbers of 9/11 victims have prompted an FBI probe into the company, which this week launched a preliminary investigation into the allegations. But a backlash has begun, focusing on the source of the claim: a single story in the Daily Mirror.

The former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain has criticised the decision to investigate, saying there is little evidence so far that the problem of phone hacking had spread to the US and the probe was unjustified. "It seems to me that this is a British issue that needs to be resolved first," he told Sky News. "I've heard of no evidence or allegation yet of anything being done in the United States of America."

His defence is significant not only because he is a senior Republican but also because he has criticised News Corp in the past. In 2001, he publicly questioned its plans to take over the satellite television service DirecTV, citing concerns over media consolidation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/16/newscorp-scandal-splits-american-politicians