P.M.’s QUESTIONS

Blair: Wasn’t ‘Cozy’ With Murdoch

But avoided conflicts with the media.

In some ways, it’s a family thing. Former British prime minister Tony Blair, godfather to one of Rupert Murdoch’s daughters, faced the scrutiny of the Leveson Inquiry on Monday over his ties to the controversial News Corp. chairman. While Blair no longer holds political office in Britain, his testimony was one of a series of appearances by prominent British politicians and personalities that have exposed close connections between elites and the country’s ruling media family. An antiwar protester barged into the room and shouted that Blair was a "war criminal" before he was detained by security. The former prime minister said that he avoided public spats with the media while in power saying to do so "would have been a huge battle with no guarantee of winning."