News Corp Sets Up Worker Snitch Line

If you're a News Corp employee and you suspect a colleague of underhanded activity—hacking phones or bribing cops, for example—there's a phone number Rupert Murdoch would like you to call. A 24-hour "alertline" has been set up for workers in Murdoch's media empire who want to report violations of the company's ethics code, the Independent reports. Workers whose accusations turn out to be unfounded will be protected "from retaliation," a policy document given to News Corp staff promises.

Authorities in both the US and the UK are investigating the company over payments allegedly made to police officers by Murdoch journalists, and the document sternly warns employees against bribery, especially of public servants. "Gifts and hospitality that may be perfectly acceptable among private parties can be completely forbidden when the other party is a government official," it warns. (More News Corp stories.)