James Murdoch resigns UK role
Source: Agencies |
March 1, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
James Murdoch, the executive at the epicenter of the phone-hacking scandal at his father's British newspapers, is stepping down as executive chairman of News Corp's UK newspaper arm.
News Corp said in a statement yesterday that James, youngest son of 80-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has relinquished his position at News International to concentrate on expanding the company's television business.
The 39-year-old James will still remain deputy chief operating officer of News Corp but the move plucks the one-time heir apparent to his father's global empire away from a firestorm over his credibility and his role in Britain's expanding phone-hacking scandal.
News Corp shares set a 52-week high in New York after the news broke, rising 1.6 percent to US$20.11 a share.
"James' resignation was inevitable," said Louis Ureneck, a journalism professor at Boston University. "He either condoned the hacking or was irresponsibly unaware. Neither is acceptable in a top executive of a media company."
James Murdoch is still chairman of satellite broadcaster BSkyB, in which News Corp holds a 39 percent stake. The hacking scandal effectively killed News Corp's bid to take full control of the lucrative media company.
Revelations last summer that voicemail phone hacking went far beyond one rogue reporter at Murdoch's News of the World tabloid have led to three parallel police investigations and an inquiry into UK's media ethics.
There has been evidence of widespread criminality, with journalists hacking into personal phones and computers, and illegally bribing police and other officials for information.
The scandal brought down the 168-year-old News of the World and led to the arrests of more than a dozen journalists. Other top News International executives have resigned,.
James Murdoch has twice publicly had to change his story about what he knew and when in the phone-hacking scandal.
In a statement, he thanked colleagues for their dedication, saying they work "tirelessly to inform the public." He also praised the company's latest British newspaper, The Sun on Sunday.
News Corp said in a statement yesterday that James, youngest son of 80-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has relinquished his position at News International to concentrate on expanding the company's television business.
The 39-year-old James will still remain deputy chief operating officer of News Corp but the move plucks the one-time heir apparent to his father's global empire away from a firestorm over his credibility and his role in Britain's expanding phone-hacking scandal.
News Corp shares set a 52-week high in New York after the news broke, rising 1.6 percent to US$20.11 a share.
"James' resignation was inevitable," said Louis Ureneck, a journalism professor at Boston University. "He either condoned the hacking or was irresponsibly unaware. Neither is acceptable in a top executive of a media company."
James Murdoch is still chairman of satellite broadcaster BSkyB, in which News Corp holds a 39 percent stake. The hacking scandal effectively killed News Corp's bid to take full control of the lucrative media company.
Revelations last summer that voicemail phone hacking went far beyond one rogue reporter at Murdoch's News of the World tabloid have led to three parallel police investigations and an inquiry into UK's media ethics.
There has been evidence of widespread criminality, with journalists hacking into personal phones and computers, and illegally bribing police and other officials for information.
The scandal brought down the 168-year-old News of the World and led to the arrests of more than a dozen journalists. Other top News International executives have resigned,.
James Murdoch has twice publicly had to change his story about what he knew and when in the phone-hacking scandal.
In a statement, he thanked colleagues for their dedication, saying they work "tirelessly to inform the public." He also praised the company's latest British newspaper, The Sun on Sunday.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
