Rupert Murdoch Testimony Blames Booze? 'I'm Afraid That Was the Influence of Alcohol'
Rupert Murdoch has begun his second day of testimony in court on Thursday, where he has become the center of questioning after charges that police had not properly handled a phone hacking scam due to Murdoch's prominent position and strong influence.
Murdoch is considered as one of the most influential men in the media world, with an audience that accounts for 40 percent of British newspaper readers. His company, News Corp, is the second largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue.
The company has faced controversy since it shutdown one of its London based Sunday newspapers, News of the World. The company closed after allegations that charged the paper with being involved in a large phone hacking scandal.
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Murdoch gave a testimony in court Wednesday. Although having frequently boasted about his power among high seated officials in the past, during the first part of his testimony Murdoch insisted that he had played no part in aiding the succession of British prime ministers.
Murdoch poised himself in court as an esteemed journalist whose mission "was always to tell the truth, certainly to interest the public, to get their attention, but always to tell the truth."
The media mogul also set out to defend his reputation citing that he had never "used the influence of The Sun, or the supposed political power, to get favorable treatment."
Murdoch consistently denied that his papers had any sort of political influence. He noted that he had admonished an editor who had suggest they claim so with a front page title that read "It Was The Sun Wot Won It," after a 1992 Labour Party election win, calling it "tasteless and wrong, because we don't have that sort of power."
When questioned about another instance where Murdoch himself took credit for smearing a Labour campaign, Murdoch admitted that he had not been himself during the night in question.
"If I said that, then I'm afraid that was the influence of alcohol," Murdoch responded.
After the phone hacking scam was discovered "The News of the World" was forced to close down, but many questioned the police investigation surrounding the case due to Murdoch's supposed mass influence.
