Murdoch demands ABC apologise for 'lie'
Date October 18, 2012
"Typical ABC in Oz alleged I called hacking victims scumbags" ... Rupert Murdoch tweeted yesterday. Photo: Reuters
RUPERT MURDOCH has hit out at the ABC and demanded an apology over its coverage of recent comments he made about victims of the British phone-hacking scandal.
But Mr Murdoch later had to apologise to the actor Hugh Grant over the same stream of tweets, in which he suggested Grant had abandoned his "love child's".
"Typical ABC in Oz alleged I called hacking victims scumbags," Mr Murdoch wrote on Twitter. "Direct lie. Major correction and apology please."
Mr Murdoch's comments relate to the ABC's coverage of a tweet he wrote on Sunday: "Told UK's Cameron receiving scumbag celebrities pushing for even more privacy laws. Trust the toffs! Transparency under attack. Bad."
That tweet apparently referred to a meeting between the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, and representatives of Hacked Off, a lobby group for victims of phone hacking.
Mr Cameron privately met celebrities from the group, including Grant, the singer Charlotte Church and a TV presenter, Jacqui Hames, and discussed greater regulation of the press.
The ABC reported on its website that Mr Murdoch had labelled "some phone hacking victims as 'scumbag celebrities'."
It is unclear what part of the ABC's reporting Mr Murdoch objected to. The broadcaster was not immediately available for comment on Mr Murdoch's criticism.
The News Corporation boss made his second Twitter climbdown in less than 24 hours as he expressed regret for the comments about Grant’s personal life. Mr Murdoch said on Twitter: ‘‘Hugh Grant states that he is deeply involved in his daughter’s life – I accept that,regret tweet on the matter. Apologies to both parents.’’
Earlier Mr Murdoch sought to clarify the ‘‘scumbag celebrities’’ remark. He clarified: ‘‘I did not say all celebrities were scumbags. Check my tweet. And apology to any who misunderstood.’’
His original comments were followed by a hail of criticism on Twitter.
A former British MP, Evan Harris, tweeted: "By 'scumbag celebs' do u mean the WPC [woman police constable] u put under surveillance, the teen girl yr papers perved over, or the actor u hacked?"
Mr Harris accused Mr Murdoch of hypocrisy. "I was at meeting & unlike yr secret meetngs w/ PMs promoting yr business, the victims went in front door & told media abt it," he tweeted.
Mr Murdoch later seemed to qualify his first tweet, saying to another user: "not referring to these ladies."
When asked whether he could criticise celebrities when News Corp employees had been involved in phone hacking, he apparently singled out actor Hugh Grant: "They don't get arrested for indecency on major LA highways!"In 1995, Grant was arrested by Los Angeles police near Sunset Boulevard for misdemeanour lewd conduct in a public place with a prostitute.
Murdoch's newspaper the News of the World later paid the prostitute, Divine Brown, a substantial sum for her story.
