Journalism of Courage
The phone-hacking scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper wing has already cost him more than 79 million Euros,company figures showed.
Revelations that the News of the World (NOTW) illegally accessed the voice-mails of a murdered schoolgirl,as well as dozens of celebrities,politicians and crime victims,forced Murdoch to close the Sunday tabloid last July.
News Group Newspapers (NGN),the subsidiary of Murdoch’s British newspaper wing News International,has set aside 55.5 million Euros for costs relating to the shutdown,according to company.
A further 23.7 million Euros has been set aside for phone hacking claimants’ damages and legal fees.
News International has settled with dozens of victims,including British actor Jude Law,footballer Ashley Cole and former deputy prime minister John Prescott.
The company report noted that the final cost of settling civil claims may or may not be significantly higher.
