Mr. Jay asked Mr. Murdoch if he had a "cavalier" attitude to corporate governance in relation to phone hacking and added that there had been a "consistent theme" of a coverup at the company about the extent of the paper's wrongdoing, which first publicly surfaced in 2006.

WSJ: Rupert Murdoch Says He Was Misled on Phone-Hacking Scandal at News of the World

Mr. Jay also asked Mr. Murdoch if he influences his editors indirectly.

WSJ: News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch, in Testimony, Says He Never Asked for Political Favors

On another level, this connects back to the big question that Jay Rosen asked a couple of weeks ago: what is behind the precipitous decline in public trust in the news media?

FORBES: When Data Clashes with Common Sense

The 81-year-old was asked by inquiry lawyer Mr Jay why the Scottish Sun newspaper was anti-SNP at the 2007 Holyrood election but by 2010 had swung behind Mr Salmond and his party.

BBC: Scotland politics

Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat from West Virginia, asked Panetta about some recent comments by former Vice President Cheney, who championed many of the CIA's controversial tactics.

CNN: Panetta: I'd shun controversial interrogation techniques

Again, it was all a mistake, according to will.i.am, who says he was asked to record the track by producers Lazy Jay because they preferred him to Tulisa.

FORBES: Will.i.am Admits Stealing Song - Accidentally

Jay Pierce, chairman of the pilots union representing Continental pilots, said last week that he asked the union's safety officials to look into the matter.

WSJ: Nonstop Flights Stop for Fuel