12:35 p.m. ET: Rupert Murdoch and his son James just finished testifying before a committee of the British Parliament about the scandal that has engulfed some of their News Corp. newspapers in the U.K.
As NPR.org writes, Murdoch "told a British parliamentary inquiry Tuesday that he was not aware of wrongdoing until after the fact and said he had been misled." And the 80-year-old media giant said he is the best person for the job of cleaning up the mess created by journalists who invaded the privacy of perhaps thousands of people in the U.K.
We updated this post as the hearing went on. Later today, Rebekah Brooks — who this week resigned her post at the top of News Corp.'s operations in the U.K. — is to testify.
Update at 12:25 p.m. ET. "I'm The Best Person To Clean This Up":
The hearing has resumed and News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch just responded to an MP's question about whether he will resign by saying "no."
"I feel that people I trusted ... I'm not saying who ... let me down and I think they behaved disgracefully," Murdoch added. "And it's time for them to pay."
"Frankly, I'm the best person to clean this up."
Update at 12:07 p.m. ET. Shaving Foam?
The man who just tried to accost Rupert Murdoch during a hearing before a committee of Parliament may have been attempting to push a paper plate covered with shaving foam into the News Corp. chief's face, British media are reporting.
Update at 11:57 a.m. ET. Hearing Suspended After Incident:
An individual just approached Rupert Murdoch, as the News Corp. chief was testifying to a committee of Parliament in London, and may have tried to strike the 80-year-old man. Channel 4 News says Murdoch's wife Wendi Deng "stood up to push the attacker away." The Guardian says she "seemed to slap the person." No one appears to have been injured.
The hearing has been suspended for 10 minutes.
Update at 11:15 a.m. ET. Murdoch's Prepared Statement:
As the committee hearing in Parliament continues, News Corp. has posted the written statement submitted by Rupert Murdoch. He says, in part:
"We now know that things went badly wrong at the News of the World. For a newspaper that held others to account, it failed when it came to itself. The behavior that occurred went against everything that I stand for. It not only betrayed our readers and me, but also the many thousands of magnificent professionals in our other divisions around the world."
Update at 10:15 a.m. ET. Murdoch Says He Is Not "Ultimately Responsible":
Is he "ultimately responsible" for what appear to have been criminal acts by some of his company's news outlets in the U.K., News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch was just asked during a Parliament committee hearing in London?
"No," said Murdoch.
So who is responsible? "The people I trusted to run it ... and maybe the peole they trusted," the 80-year-old Murdoch said. The people he trusted to run News Corp., of course, include his son James — who is sitting next to his father as they testify.
Update at 10:10 a.m. ET. "No Evidence" Of 9/11 Victims' Phones Being Hacked:
Asked during the hearing before a committee of Parliament if he knows whether any American victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks or their families had their cell phones "hacked" by News Corp. news outlets, Rupert Murdoch just said he's seen "no evidence of that at all. ... I cannot believed it happened to anyone in America."
Update at 10 a.m. ET. "Appalled And Ashamed":
Continuing to testify to Parliament about the scandal involving British tabloids owned by his News Corp., Rupert Murdoch was just asked when he became aware that criminality was "endemic" at News of the World.
"Endemic," Murdoch said, "is a very hard ... very wide-ranging word."
He then went on to say he was "absolutely shocked, appalled and ashamed when I heard about the Milly Dowler case" — the hacking into a missing teenager's voicemails by an investigator hired by the News of the World.
Update at 9:40 a.m. ET. "This Is The Most Humble Day Of My Life":
In a committee room of Britain's Parliament, Rupert Murdoch just interrupted the opening statement being made by his son James (who heads News Corp.'s European operations and is "heir apparent"), to say "this is the most humble day of my life."
That came just after James Murdoch had said the "voice mail interceptions" done by News Corp. reporters or investigators hired by the company's tabloids in the U.K., "do not live up to the standards that our company aspires to."
Our original post:
For those who want to follow as News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch takes questions from members of the British Parliament about the "hacking scandal" that has engulfed some of his company's newspapers in the U.K.:
Britain's Channel 4 News is webcasting the morning's hearings here, and has made the feed available to other news sites.
As we noted earlier, Parliament TV is also streaming today's hearings.
Because we know not everyone can play those webcasts right now, we'll update this post with highlights once Murdoch, his son James and former top News Corp. editor Rebekah Brooks start testifying. The session is scheduled to get going at 9:30 a.m. ET. Right now, another committee of Parliament is quizzing Scotland Yard officials about that famed police department's alleged role in the story.
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