美司法部长称考虑调查默多克窃听丑闻

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.

美国司法部长霍尔德星期五表示，美国司法部正在审查国会议员调查默多克属下新闻集团的要求。在此之前，默多克属下的新闻集团发生在英国电话窃听的丑闻。霍尔德正在澳大利亚从事公务旅行，此举也被认为是对媒体所有权法的一项调查。“新闻有限公司”是默多克属下新闻集团的一个机构，在澳大利亚的报业扮演主导角色。

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

美国国会议员要求对传闻所说，默多克的新闻集团在美国进行非法窃听一事，进行调查。

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

美国司法部长霍尔德在悉尼告诉记者说，国会议员的这些要求将被慎重考虑。

"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.

霍尔德说：“有关的严重传闻在英国被提起，而且在英国正进行调查，很合适地，美国国会也要求我们对同样的传闻进行调查，而我们也利用美国合适的联邦执法机构，对这项传闻进行了解。”

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.

在霍尔德发表这项谈话前，美国联邦调查局星期四发起一项调查，对声称英国小报“世界新闻”和美国的私家侦探接触，希望取得9/11罹难者电话录音的说法，进行调查。

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.

美国联邦调查局的这些调查实际上只是初步调查，还没有构成正式调查的条件，但是这项发展已经给默多克的媒体王国带来更大压力。

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

在这位媒体大亨默多克出生地的澳大利亚，澳大利亚政府当局说，由于英国的电话窃听丑闻，他们将审查他们的媒体所有权法。

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“新闻有限公司”是澳大利亚最有权势的媒体机构，但是现在却遭逢史无前例的审查。有些澳大利亚议员质问，为什么这家公司可以主宰澳大利亚的报业，因此要求对这家公司的运作进行正式调查。他们表示，虽然目前还没有任何有关的证据，但是澳大利亚民众担心这种电话窃听作法也发生在澳大利亚。在堪培拉，澳大利亚政府表示，他们也许会审查媒体所有权法以及其他相关规定。Speaking Thursday at the National Press Club, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she had been sickened by the News of the World scandal.

澳大利亚总理吉拉德星期四在国家记者俱乐部演说时表示，她对“世界新闻”的丑闻感到恶心。

“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.”

吉拉德说：“我想就和其他大多数澳大利亚人一样，我对英国所揭露出来的丑闻感到震惊和恶心。我想我们将对媒体的道德将会有很长久的辩论，但是如果要我简单明了地说，我要向你们说的是，不要写无关痛痒的废话。”

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

“新闻有限公司”首席执行官约翰、哈提根对这项引起争议的事件表示，他相信他的员工行为端正。

“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.

约翰.哈提根说：“我了解新闻工作室，我了解新闻文化是如何发展的，我有充分的信心，在我们的新闻工作室里，没有不合适或不道德的行为。”

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

这位“新闻有限公司”的负责人还表示，这种电话窃听是对良好新闻事业的一种公然污辱。

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.

与此同时，默多克和他的儿子詹姆士.默多克已经同意，下个星期将出席英国议会回答英国国会议员的质询。