London: Sky News, a part of Rupert Murdoch`s
media empire in Britain, on Thursday admitted that it illegally
hacked e-mails twice for information, further tarnishing the
image of the press baron.
The admission is an indication that unethical news
gathering practices were not confined to the now closed News
of the World, but were more widespread in Murdoch`s media
holdings in Britain.
News of the World has since been closed in the wake of the
phone-hacking controversy, which sparked off a raft of
inquiries against Murdoch`s media companies and caused
commercial setback to BSkyB, when he was forced to withdraw
his takeover bid.
Sky News, which is a subsidiary of BSkyB, said hacked
emails belonging to one John Darwin, who was in the news for
faking his own death in a canoe for 500,000 pounds in
insurance gains, and his wife Anne.
Due to recent allegations, BSkyB is under investigation by
regulator Ofcom to determine whether the broadcaster is `fit
and proper` to continue to hold a broadcasting licence.
James Murdoch this week resigned as chairman of BSkyB.
In a statement, Sky News claimed that illegally accessing
emails was in the public interest and amounted to "responsible
journalism".
It said in a statement: "Sky News is committed to the
highest editorial standards. Like other news organisations, we
are acutely aware of the tensions that can arise between the
law and responsible investigative journalism. We stand by
these actions as editorially justified and in the public
interest."
PTI
