London (CNN) -- Rupert Murdoch's media empire suffered a double blow Wednesday as Prime Minister David Cameron launched a wide-ranging investigation into the British press and Murdoch's News Corp. withdrew its bid to take over British satellite broadcaster BSkyB. The moves came in the wake of public and political fury at allegations that journalists working for Murdoch illegally eavesdropped on phone messages of thousands of people and bribed police. Cameron blasted Murdoch's company Wednesday as he launched the high-powered investigation. News Corp. executives need to focus not on taking over BSkyB, "but on clearing up the mess and getting their house in order," Cameron said.
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NEW: some 4,000 cell phones and 5,000 land lines may have been affected
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Lawmakers pass a symbolic motion after debating Murdoch's BSkyB ambitions
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Sen. Jay Rockefeller writes to US authorities urging an investigation into News Corp.
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PM Cameron says News Corp. has made "the right decision" in dropping its bid
"My bet is we'll find some criminal stuff," Rockefeller said, speaking a day after he urged @placeholder authorities to examine whether U.S. citizens had had their "privacy violated" by journalists at the company.