美司法部長稱考慮調查默多克竊聽醜聞

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday the Justice Department is reviewing requests from lawmakers in Washington for a probe into Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation following the British phone-hacking scandal. Holder is on an official trip to Australia, which is also considering an inquiry into media ownership laws. A News Corporation subsidiary, News Limited, is the dominant player in Australia’s newspaper industry.

美國司法部長霍爾德星期五表示，美國司法部正在審查國會議員調查默多克屬下新聞集團的要求。在此之前，默多克屬下的新聞集團發生在英國電話竊聽的醜聞。霍爾德正在澳大利亞從事公務旅行，此舉也被認爲是對媒體所有權法的一項調查。“新聞有限公司”是默多克屬下新聞集團的一個機構，在澳大利亞的報業扮演主導角色。

Members of the U.S. Congress are demanding an investigation into allegations that News Corporation has illegally hacked phones in the United States.

美國國會議員要求對傳聞所說，默多克的新聞集團在美國進行非法竊聽一事，進行調查。

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters in Sydney that those requests are being closely considered.

美國司法部長霍爾德在悉尼告訴記者說，國會議員的這些要求將被慎重考慮。

"While there have been serious allegations raised in that regard in Great Britain and there is an ongoing investigation there, as is appropriate, there have been members of Congress in the United States that have asked us to investigate those same allegations and we are progressing in that regard, using the appropriate federal law enforcement agencies in the United States," he said.

霍爾德說：“有關的嚴重傳聞在英國被提起，而且在英國正進行調查，很合適地，美國國會也要求我們對同樣的傳聞進行調查，而我們也利用美國合適的聯邦執法機構，對這項傳聞進行了解。”

Holder's remarks follow the launch of an FBI probe Thursday into claims that the British tabloid The News of the World contacted a private investigator in the United States in a bid to access phone records of 9/11 victims.

在霍爾德發表這項談話前，美國聯邦調查局星期四發起一項調查，對聲稱英國小報“世界新聞”和美國的私家偵探接觸，希望取得9/11罹難者電話錄音的說法，進行調查。

The FBI inquiries are preliminary in nature and do not constitute a formal investigation, but the development puts more pressure on Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

美國聯邦調查局的這些調查實際上只是初步調查，還沒有構成正式調查的條件，但是這項發展已經給默多克的媒體王國帶來更大壓力。

In Australia, where the tycoon was born, the government says it may review its media laws because of the British phone hacking scandal.

在這位媒體大亨默多克出生地的澳大利亞，澳大利亞政府當局說，由於英國的電話竊聽醜聞，他們將審查他們的媒體所有權法。

Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited is the most powerful media organization in Australia, but it is now coming under unprecedented scrutiny. Some legislators have questioned the company’s domination of the newspaper industry and are demanding an official investigation into its operations. They say the Australian public is worried that phone hacking could have taken place here, although it has yet to find any evidence. In Canberra, the government says it may review media ownership laws and other regulations.

默多克的“新聞有限公司”是澳大利亞最有權勢的媒體機構，但是現在卻遭逢史無前例的審查。有些澳大利亞議員質問，爲什麼這家公司可以主宰澳大利亞的報業，因此要求對這家公司的運作進行正式調查。他們表示，雖然目前還沒有任何有關的證據，但是澳大利亞民衆擔心這種電話竊聽作法也發生在澳大利亞。在堪培拉，澳大利亞政府表示，他們也許會審查媒體所有權法以及其他相關規定。Speaking Thursday at the National Press Club, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she had been sickened by the News of the World scandal.

澳大利亞總理吉拉德星期四在國家記者俱樂部演說時表示，她對“世界新聞”的醜聞感到噁心。

“Like I think most Australians, I’ve been pretty shocked and disgusted to see the revelations that we’ve seen in the United Kingdom," said Gillard. "I think we will have a long debate about media ethics in this country but if I could put it as clearly I can, I’d say to you don’t write crap.”

吉拉德說：“我想就和其他大多數澳大利亞人一樣，我對英國所揭露出來的醜聞感到震驚和噁心。我想我們將對媒體的道德將會有很長久的辯論，但是如果要我簡單明瞭地說，我要向你們說的是，不要寫無關痛癢的廢話。”

The chief executive of News Limited, John Hartigan, responded to the controversy by saying he believed his employees have behaved honorably.

“新聞有限公司”首席執行官約翰、哈提根對這項引起爭議的事件表示，他相信他的員工行爲端正。

“I know the newsrooms, I know how cultures develop and I'm hugely confident that there is no improper or unethical behavior in our newsrooms,” he said.

約翰.哈提根說：“我瞭解新聞工作室，我瞭解新聞文化是如何發展的，我有充分的信心，在我們的新聞工作室裏，沒有不合適或不道德的行爲。”

The News Limited chief has also said that the phone hacking scandal was “an affront” to good journalism.

這位“新聞有限公司”的負責人還表示，這種電話竊聽是對良好新聞事業的一種公然污辱。

Meanwhile, Rupert Murdoch and his son James have agreed to answer questions from British members of parliament next week, after initially refusing to do so.

與此同時，默多克和他的兒子詹姆士.默多克已經同意，下個星期將出席英國議會回答英國國會議員的質詢。