Murdochs, Rebekah Brooks Deny Knowledge of Phone Hacking

MEDIA -- July 19, 2011 at 8:25 AM EDT

Murdochs, Rebekah Brooks Deny Knowledge of Phone Hacking

News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch and his son James, along with former executive Rebekah Brooks, appeared before members of Britain's parliament Tuesday to answer questions about the phone hacking scandal and whether or not they had knowledge of illegal activity.

Rupert Murdoch said he had no knowledge of any phone hacking, and was disappointed by "people I trusted." During their two hour joint testimony, his son James issued an apology to any victims affected by the scandal. The senior Murdoch called the testimony the "most humble day of my life."

Brooks echoed a similar theme, saying "A newsroom is based on trust," and that "You rely on the people that work for you to behave in a proper manner." She said many rumors of her social ties to Prime Minister David Cameron are untrue.

Read highlights from their testimony here.

As the media mogul testified before British lawmakers, a man rushed Rupert Murdoch and threw a plate of white foam. A scuffle ensued and the hearing was briefly suspended.

After rushing up to Murdoch, the man was then struck by Murdoch's wife, Wendi Deng, a volleyball enthusiast.

The man, covered in white foam, was detained by police. The foam also appeared to have hit Murdoch's suit.

Watch a highlighted version of the incident here.

Original post: Ned Temko of The Observer in London, told Gwen Ifill that Tuesday will be "extraordinary."

"There's two separate committees in the House of Commons who will be interviewing Sir Paul Stephenson, John Yates, then James Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch's son, Rupert Murdoch himself, Rebekah Brooks. It will be made-for-TV drama, and it will go on for hours. It will all be televised live on the news channels here. So that's day one. Then, on Wednesday, although Parliament was supposed to already have been in recess, as you say, David Cameron has flown back early from a trip to Africa for a special session at which he will make a statement and answer questions."

The New York Times explains what to watch for in testimony and who's covering it.

The Washington Post has a graphic explaining "key relationships in the scandal."

Keith Olbermann, who once worked for Murdoch and said the company "blackmailed" him, will also be offering live coverage.

The BBC offers a guide to the MPs who will be involved in the proceedings.

A bevy of news organizations will be liveblogging Tuesday's and Wednesday's proceedings:

The Telegraph

The Guardian

BBC

We'll have much more about the scandal and the high-profile hearings this week on the NewsHour's website and broadcast. Stay tuned.

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