You know you're in the wrong when Porn king Larry Flynt is questioning your morals. But Rupert Murdoch has threatened basic human rights through the phone hacking scandal, according to the Hustler magazine founder.
In an opinion piece published in the Washington Post over the weekend, the adult magazine publisher spoke about how the media mogul pushed his journalists too far and has now jeopardised freedom of speech and privacy in the US.
"If the allegations are true, Murdoch did not just cross the line — he erased it," Flynt wrote regarding claims News Of The World bosses knew the phones of murder victims, 9/11 victims and politicians were being hacked.
Advertisement: Story continues below "If Murdoch refuses to take his responsibility as a publisher seriously, he threatens not only Americans' right to privacy, but also our basic freedoms."
Flynt is no stranger to controversy. Known as "America's king of porn" he has been advocating free speech for almost 50 years and was left paralysed after an assassination attempt in 1978.
In the 1970s, Hustler was the first adult R-rated magazine to print photos of exposed female genitalia.
Flynt also purchased and published paparazzi photos of former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, which showed her sunbaking naked during a private holiday.
"I test limits by publishing controversial material and paying people who are willing to step forward and expose political hypocrisy."
"Murdoch's minions, on the other hand, pushed limits by allegedly engaging in unethical or criminal activity," he continued.
"He publishes what he wants, apparently regardless of how he gets information and heedless of the responsibility associated with the power he wields."
"No matter how offensive or distasteful some people may find Hustler magazine and my other publications, no one has appeared unwillingly in their pages. I do not create sensationalism at the expense of people living private lives.
"I focus not on those who are innocent, but rather on those who practice the opposite of what they very publicly preach. This may be considered an extreme or controversial practice in getting a story, but it is far from criminal," he continued.
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