News Corporation subsidiary News International says its conducting reviews of journalistic standards at all of its U.K. publications, in the wake of revelations about widespread phone hacking at its now-defunct News Of The World tabloid.
The news was first reported by Mark Hosenball and Georgina Prodhan of Reuters.
A News International spokesman told Reuters: “As is widely known, a review of journalistic standards is underway at News International with Linklaters assisting in the process,” referring to a law firm in London.
According to a Washington Post source, the inquiry “would examine News International publications including the 226-year-old Times, its sister-publication the Sunday Times, and The Sun, Britain’s biggest-selling daily.”
The papers the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail, competitors of News International publications, have also been conducting their own internal reviews in the wake of the scandal.
The scandal has already seen 13 arrests, including former NOTW editors and former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, related to allegations that reporters for the tabloid hacked into the voice messages of murder victims, public officials and celebrities.
The extent of the scandal led Prime Minister David Cameron to announce a public inquiry into how far-reaching the practice of phone hacking went at News International, and among British journalists as a whole. Lord Justice Leveson, who was put in charge of conducting the independent investigation, will likely call Rupert and James Murdoch to testify about the allegations when the inquiry formally begins in October. The Telegraph reports that Leveson has said he “will go where the evidence takes him” in determining who to call to testify.
Ed Note: This story has been updated.
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