Two British Parliamentary Committees met today to look into the ethics and culture of the British media, as well as the specific claims about voicemail hacking at the News of the World. Several of the major players behind the events were summoned to testify before British lawmakers.
Earlier, The Culture, Media and Sport Committee called News Corp. Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch along with his son and News Corp. deputy COO James Murdoch to appear. Former top Murdoch executive Rebekah Brooks, who was editor at The News of the World during the phone hacking incident, testified about her role.
Murdoch opened the hearing by stating that "today is the most humble day of my life." His son, Robert, later echoed his father's sentiments and went into detail about the timeline leading up to the incidents.
The series of events began unfolding earlier this month when it was made known that reporters working for Murdoch allegedly hacked the voice messaging account of Milly Dowler, a British teenager who was murdered in 2002.
On Monday, Prime Minister David Cameron delayed parliament’s recess for at least one day. The prime minister cut his African trip short to address the House of Commons on Wednesday on the hacking crisis. Cameron faces pressure due to his relationships with Brooks and Andy Coulson, former top communications aide to Cameron who was also arrested in July.