Cameron considers relationship between politics and media too close
British Prime Minister David Cameron has described the relationship between politics and the media in his country as «too close.» «We must try to put this on a new footing,» Cameron said during a hearing before the Commission of Inquiry into Media Ethics in London.
The current regulatory system is not working, Cameron added on Thursday. He called for "greater transparency, better regulation and a bit more distance". Cameron swore on the Bible before giving a general overview of the relationship between politics and the media in the UK.
The British Prime Minister himself set up the commission to investigate the practices and ethics of the British media in 2011 after the wiretapping practices of the now defunct Murdoch tabloid News of the World triggered a scandal.
At the time, it had come to light that journalists from the now defunct newspaper had not only wiretapped celebrities and bribed police officers, but had also allegedly hacked into the cell phone mailboxes of the relatives of killed soldiers and a kidnapped girl.
Cameron himself is also to be questioned about his relationship with the Murdoch media group. For example, Cameron is a friend of former Murdoch confidante Rebekah Brooks and hired the former editor-in-chief ofNews of the World, Andy Coulson, as his press officer. In January 2011, however, Coulson resigned in connection with the wiretapping scandal. (SDA/AFP)
