Rockefeller Asks British Investigator for News Corp. Investigation Info

The chairman of a powerful communications oversight
committee in Congress has asked the leader of a British investigation into News
Corp. phone hacking for any information that might be relevant on this side of
the pond.

In a letter to Lord Justice Brian Leveson Wednesday,
according to the senator's office, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.), chairman of
the Senate Commerce Committee, asked if the inquiry "has uncovered any new
information suggesting that News International's conduct involved U.S. citizens
or violated U.S. laws."

Rockefeller raised questions about any possible U.S. involvement
last July when the phone hacking scandal investigation was in full swing in
Britain.

"Today's new request for information comes as the Leveson
Inquiry and other British investigations are disclosing large volumes of new
information and documents about News International's widespread
misconduct."

Free Press earlier this week renewed calls for a
congressional investigation into whether News Corp. violated any U.S. laws.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.