ORIGINAL: UK Prime Minister David Cameron is testifying before the Leveson Inquiry today, an investigation he helped launched to look into media ethics and the News Corp. phone hacking scandal. Cameron was called before the panel to discuss the relationship between politicians and journalists and how they often work together to shape communications. There will also be questions about charges that members of Cameron's government worked too closely with Rupert Murdoch's empire, specifically during its aborted purchase of the BSkyB satellite network.

He's also personal friends with some of the figures at the center of the investigation, including former News International executive Rebekah Brooks and former News of the World editor Andy Couslon, who worked for Cameron as his Director of Communications. Both Brooks and Coulson have been arrested and charged with crimes for their roles in the case.

You can watch a live stream of his testimony, via MSNBC, below:

UPDATE (8:00 a.m. EDT): They're currently taking a lunch break. Cameron's testimony will resume at 2:00 p.m. London time, or 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

UPDATE (11:00 a.m.): The testimony is over now, but Reuters has a good recap of the proceedings here.

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Dashiell Bennett