Celebrity gossip can be a dirty, dirty business, and some are working to make it even dirtier.
Reuters reports that British police are investigating a claim that journalists at
Rupert Murdock's British newspaper were conspiring to hack into the phones of celebrities, legislators, and even public figures.
Among those targeted by the mag were
Jude Law, who is currently in London starring in an amazing revival of
Hamlet, as well as
Gwyneth Paltrow,
Elle Macpherson, and former British deputy prime minister J
ohn Prescott. Apparently, reporters at
News of the World were working with private investigators to access the cell phones of these celebs and publish anything they heard that seemed of interest in their tabloids.
The British police are taking this very seriously, as it brings up more debate about the ethics of British tabloids, which seem to have seen magazine sales falling since the internet.
New International, the ones who wanted to hack the phones, have already paid $1.6 million to settle court cases for three people that had their phones hacked.
New of the World has already been able to intercept voicemail messages and have also gotten access to personal things like phone bills and bank statements. Apparently, 31 reporters from
News of the World and
The Sun were able to get all this information through blagging, which is a form of deception where one person pretends to be another person to get information from banks and phone companies.
Well, isn't it nice to know that we here at
Socialite Life would never engage in anything like that? Frankly, it just takes far too much effort. And poor Jude Law. Here he is, being a super baller
Hamlet, and then they gotta do all this to him. He should turn Shakespearean on them and stab with a poisoned rapier. Let's see how they like that!
Gallery Info: Jude Law signs autographs for fans after a performance of
Hamlet.
Click any thumbnail launch the gallery and view all 30 photos:
