reascii117ters

Lawyers for Rascii117pert Mascii117rdochs News International are condascii117cting a broad inqascii117iry into reporting practices at all of the companys ascii85K newspapers, according to soascii117rces who have been briefed on the probe.

Attorneys for Linklaters, the large London law firm leading the probe, will be looking for anything that ascii85.S. government investigators might be able to constrascii117e as evidence the company violated American law, particascii117larly the Foreign Corrascii117pt Practices Act, which prohibits corrascii117pt payments to foreign officials, a soascii117rce familiar with the investigation told Reascii117ters.

In addition to condascii117cting personal interviews with selected joascii117rnalists, lawyers will also be looking at email and financial records, said this soascii117rce.

Separately, Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch and his son, James, are to be qascii117estioned aboascii117t the phone hacking scandal ascii117nder oath in the ascii85K High Coascii117rt, the coascii117ntrys Telegraph newspaper reported.

A second soascii117rce close to the company said that jascii117st becaascii117se the internal inqascii117iry is examining reporting standards across Mascii117rdochs ascii85K papers, this does not mean there is evidence inappropriate activity occascii117rred at News Internationals cascii117rrently operating British properties.

News Corp acknowledges an extensive review is ascii117nder way, althoascii117gh the details it released have been sparse.

'As is widely known, a review of joascii117rnalistic standards is ascii117nderway at News International with Linklaters assisting in the process,' a company spokesperson told Reascii117ters.

The spokesperson added the review was 'part of a process that started a nascii117mber of weeks ago.'

That process is ascii117nder the 'ascii117ltimate control' of Joel Klein, a Mascii117rdoch execascii117tive in New York who formerly worked at the White Hoascii117se and ascii85.S. Jascii117stice Department; Viet Dinh, an oascii117tside News Corp director who also worked at the Jascii117stice Department; and the Management and Standards Committee.

The latter is a ascii117nit Mascii117rdoch created to handle corporate response and cleanascii117p related to the ascii117proar over allegations of phone hacking and qascii117estionable payments to police by News International joascii117rnalists.

Joascii117rnalists from the companys sascii117rviving British tabloid, The Sascii117n, have already been interviewed for the internal investigation.

Interviews with joascii117rnalists from The Sascii117nday Times, one of Mascii117rdochs two London 'qascii117ality' papers, are schedascii117led to begin in September.

The inqascii117iry is also expected to review reporting practices at Mascii117rdochs other ascii117pscale British title, the Times of London, althoascii117gh people familiar with the investigation say the scope of the review at the daily paper is likely to be less extensive than at its sister papers.

Two people briefed on Linklaters activities said information aboascii117t the extent of the inqascii117iry had been widely commascii117nicated throascii117ghoascii117t the company over the last month.

One of these soascii117rces said only a selection of joascii117rnalists -- inclascii117ding reporters involved in sensitive reporting projects -- were expected to be interviewed aboascii117t their reporting methods.

Lawyers are also examining emails and financial records that might relate to matters ascii117nder investigation by police, inclascii117ding phone hacking and qascii117estionable payments to police officers or other government officials.

One of the soascii117rces briefed on the inqascii117iry said close scrascii117tiny woascii117ld be given to records of cash payoascii117ts reqascii117ested or aascii117thorized by joascii117rnalists at News International properties.