Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. owns 39 percent of BSkyB — more than enough to link him to yet another hacking investigation. This one, distinct from the phone-hacking and bribery scandals at British newspaper arm News International, concerns e-mails accessed surreptitiously by Sky News, which will now be probed by the regulator Ofcom. The channel previously deemed its hacking “justified,” citing the larger public good. Separately, Sky News boss John Ryley is scheduled to appear before the Leveson Inquiry on media ethics today, with Rupert and James Murdoch, formerly BSkyB’s chairman, to follow later this week. As for the e-mail hacking investigation, one media consultant predicted, “It will result in a slap on the wrists for John Ryley. We’re not expecting anything serious.”
