s*********8
发帖数: 901 | 1 One of Britain's biggest-selling newspapers admitted Friday it was
responsible for hacking into the phones of high-profile figures and
eavesdropping on their voicemails — its first admission of liability in a
case that has shaken the country's political, police and media
establishments.
The News of The World tabloid said in a statement it had approached some of
those suing the paper with "an unreserved apology and an admission of
liability."
A spokeswoman for the paper, Daisy Dunlop, refused to say how many people
were receiving an apology, saying the information might be released later in
the day. Critics of the paper say that hundreds or even thousands of people
were targeted by scandal-hungry reporters.
It's a humiliating turnaround for the Sunday tabloid, which long insisted
that the hacking was limited to a single rogue reporter and the private
investigator he worked with.
The paper is famous for its titillating exposes and lurid tell-alls, but
critics say the tabloid routinely got its sensational scoops by breaking the
law.
Rival media organizations, former News of The World journalists, and alleged
victims have detailed a well-organized system of espionage in which tabloid
employees hacked into their targets' cell phones and listened in on their
voice mails.
In legal papers filed by actress Sienna Miller and published by the Guardian
earlier this year, the actress claimed that the tabloid listened to her
conversations repeatedly and that others in her circle, including her former
partner Jude Law, were also targeted. The spying yielded 11 articles about
her relationship with Law, their thoughts about children and their travel
plans, the documents allege. Miller became so anxious that she switched her
phone twice, the papers said.
It's not clear if Miller's case is among those which the newspaper wants to
settle. The Guardian, which has aggressively investigated the News of The
World's phone hacking campaign, says that Miller is among about two dozen
people suing the tabloid, a figure also cited by other British media,
including the BBC.
Police say it had found nearly 3,000 cell phone numbers over the course of
its initial inquiry into the phone hacking, which came to light when members
of the employees of Britain's royal family suspected that their phones were
being hacked.
Prime Minister David Cameron's communications chief, a former News of The
World editor, was forced to step down over the scandal earlier this year.
Police have also been accused of not fully investigating the allegations |
|
