Australia says News Corp claims are serious

Australia says News Corp claims are serious

CANBERRA - Reuters

News. Corp president Rupert Murdoch. AP photo

Media reports that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp promoted the pirating of its international pay-TV rivals were serious, and allegations of any criminality should be investigated by police, the Australian government said yesterday.

“These are serious allegations, and any allegations of criminal activity should be referred to the AFP (Australian Federal police) for investigation,” a spokeswoman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy told Reuters.

The Australian Financial Review newspaper said yesterday that News Corp had used a special unit, Operational Security, set up in the mid-1990s, to sabotage its competitors.