Heads roll

The News of the World phone hacking scandal has claimed another scalp, with the head of Britain's press watchdog announcing she would leave her post after getting flak for the regulator's perceived inaction over the hacking allegations.

Baroness Peta Buscombe announced Friday she would not seek to extend her term at the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) which comes to an end in the new year.

Funded by the British press, the PCC handles complaints against the media as part of a system of self-regulation.

The PCC said in a statement that Buscombe had "announced today her decision not to continue beyond that term to allow ample time for her successor to be found."

In her statement, Buscombe said: "The public rightly demands stronger powers for dealing with the misconduct of the press. They must get them."

But she argued: "I am convinced the answer to ethical concerns about the press is not statutory intervention."

"What is needed is a greater sense of accountability among editors and proprietors. A PCC with increased powers and reach remains the best way of achieving that."

Toothless watchdog?

The PCC has been sharply criticized in recent weeks for failing to address the hacking crisis at News of the World (NotW), which has embroiled the most senior echelons of the now-defunct newspaper's umbrella group, News Corporation, including billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son, James.

Earlier this month, the PCC was forced to withdraw a 2009 report which found "no new evidence" that the practice of voicemail hacking extended beyond NotW's royal editor and a private investigator who were jailed in 2007.

London's police chief Paul Stephenson and John Yates, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, have already been forced to quit. The scandal has also pulled down former NotW editor Rebekah Brooks, who had since become chief executive of News Corporation's UK arm, News International.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who himself has been dragged into the scandal, this month condemned the PCC as "ineffective and lacking in rigor." He has asked a judge-led public inquiry into the phone hacking to look at creating a new system of press regulation.

Murdoch recall requested

Meanwhile, British lawmakers said Friday it was likely they would recall James Murdoch to clarify details he provided at a special committee hearing into the phone hacking scandal on July 19.

"We are going to write to ask for further details on areas where evidence is disputed," said John Whittingdale of the UK parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

Author: Darren Mara (Reuters, AFP)
Editor: Kyle James