''Dial M for Murdoch: News Corporation and the Corruption of Britain'' is a 2012 book written by the

British Labour Party The Labour Party is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of Social democracy, social democrats, Democratic socialism, democratic socialists and trade u ...

MP Tom Watson, and Martin Hickman, a journalist with ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' newspaper. Published in the United Kingdom on 19 April 2012 by

Allen Lane Sir Allen Lane (born Allen Lane Williams; 21 September 1902 – 7 July 1970) was a British publisher who together with his brothers Richard and John Lane founded Penguin Books in 1935, bringing high-quality paperback fiction and non-fictio ...

, an imprint of

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a List of newspapers in the United Kingdom, British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media Conglomerate (c ...

and senior British politicians and police officers, and how the company allegedly used its political influence to mask illegal newsgathering techniques at its London headquarters. Details of the title and publication date were kept under wraps, with those involved in its production required to sign confidentiality agreements, a move adopted amid fears News International would try to prevent the launch. Allen Lane announced the book's release on 16 April, three days before the publication date. The timeframe between receipt of the final manuscript and the book's publication is believed to be the shortest in Penguin's history. On the day details of the book were revealed, Watson indicated on his blog his belief that the book would be controversial: "Very excited to say we've finally finished the book. It's out this Thursday. I have a hunch it will be one of the most attacked books this year." The title is a play on the 1954 film ''

Dial M for Murder ''Dial M for Murder'' is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. Both the screenplay and the successful stage play on which it was ...

''.

References

2012 non-fiction books News International phone hacking scandal British books Books about politics of the United Kingdom Allen Lane (imprint) books {{media-book-stub