Is this Armageddon for Murdoch and NewsCorp?

Panda wrote:

chrissie wrote:

Panda wrote:

chrissie wrote:I didn't see the documentary Panda but it's definitely who you know in some circles

What happened to us then chrissie, everything I have achieved, not much really, has been the hard way, but there is a certain satisfaction in knowing
what I acheived was on merit , not who I knew.

I agree Panda. Much the same for me. I'm quite proud of what I have achieved but as you say, it's through hard work.

Chrissie, I don't think anyone has had such a varied Career as me.....from Office Cleaner to Company and Trust Administrator....I'm laughing as I'm
telling you. I was never shy, worked in Peacocks, M & S, Accountancy firms, a major Bank , sold photos at dinner dances at all the best Hotels in London to name just a few. I could write a book,!!!!

You are multi talented! I've only ever had two jobs in my life. Never even had to do a CV but am going to have to now in the current employment climate.

chrissie wrote:

Panda wrote:

chrissie wrote:

Panda wrote:

chrissie wrote:I didn't see the documentary Panda but it's definitely who you know in some circles

What happened to us then chrissie, everything I have achieved, not much really, has been the hard way, but there is a certain satisfaction in knowing
what I acheived was on merit , not who I knew.

I agree Panda. Much the same for me. I'm quite proud of what I have achieved but as you say, it's through hard work.

Chrissie, I don't think anyone has had such a varied Career as me.....from Office Cleaner to Company and Trust Administrator....I'm laughing as I'm
telling you. I was never shy, worked in Peacocks, M & S, Accountancy firms, a major Bank , sold photos at dinner dances at all the best Hotels in London to name just a few. I could write a book,!!!!

You are multi talented! I've only ever had two jobs in my life. Never even had to do a CV but am going to have to now in the current employment climate.

I wouldn't like to be growing up today and I'm signing off now before we get told off ...good luck with your job hunting,

End Times

Greece vs. James Murdoch: Who Will Hit Rock Bottom First?


By Felix Gillette on February 29, 2012













In recent months (or is it years?), the embattled News Corporation (NWS) executive and the troubled Mediterranean nation have been locked in a grueling, slow-motion race, inching day by day, outrage by outrage, Vanity Fair story by Vanity Fair story, toward an uncertain finish line. At times, the conclusion seems tantalizingly near—only to be postponed again in a flurry of restructuring.

The end is nigh.

The end is nowhere in sight.

This week, Greece tumbled ahead of Murdoch with the news that Standard & Poor’s had downgraded its credit rating to “selective default.” Not to be outdone, Murdoch came limping back with a minor downgrade of his own. On Wednesday morning, News Corp. announced that James Murdoch was stepping down as the executive chairman of News International.

Immediately, some overeager news watchers jumped on Twitter to trumpet that the long-predicted day had finally arrived. Austerity measures—such as shuttering the company’s 168-year-old tabloid, News of the World—had failed. James Murdoch was out of the News Corp. union.

Except, well, OK, maybe, no. Not so fast.

In the company’s press release, News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch stated that his son James would continue to be involved with various “essential corporate leadership mandates.” He was simply giving up oversight of the U.K. publishing unit, “following his relocation” to New York.

Translation: James had been temporarily bailed out in Europe.

Greece’s parliament, meanwhile, is voting on whether to swallow billions of euros worth of pension and health-care cuts to qualify for the country’s own rescue.

For the time being, solvency remains elusive. Yet complete self-destruction has been kept at bay. Murdoch and Greece remain neck and neck.

There look to be plenty more branches to hit on the way down.

Gillette is a staff writer for Bloomberg Businessweek in New York.

David Cameron could have ridden Rebekah Brooks's ex-police horse, Downing Street admits

David Cameron could have gone riding on Rebekah Brooks's ex-police horse, Raisa, Downing Street has admitted for the first time.







David Cameron is likely to be questioned about his friendship with Mrs Brooks by Lord Justice Leveson as part of his inquiry into press ethics Photo: REUTERS/GETTY









By Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent

2:51PM GMT 01 Mar 2012







David Cameron could have gone riding on Rebekah Brooks's ex-police horse, Raisa, Downing Street has admitted for the first time.


The disclosure raises questions about the closeness between the Prime Minister and Mrs Brooks, the former tabloid editor who quit as chief executive of News International at the height of the phone hacking scandal last summer.


It emerged this week that Mrs Brooks was lent a retired police horse by the Metropolitan Police for two years. The horse, called Raisa, was stabled at her farm in the Cotswolds from 2008 to 2010, before it was handed back to Scotland Yard. It was put out to pasture in Norfolk and has since died.


An aide close to the Prime Minister confirmed for the first time that Mr Cameron had gone riding with Mrs Brooks' husband Charlie, a racehorse trainer and an old friend from his Eton schooldays.


The source said that it was "possible" that one of the horses could have been Raisa, because Mr Brooks had lent a number of horses to Mr Cameron over the years. The aide said: "It is possible. He used a number of Charlie's horses."



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29 Feb 2012

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Mr Cameron had no recollection of ever going riding with Mrs Brooks, but could not be sure. The aide added: "He has no recollection of ever going riding with Rebekah Brooks."

Mr Cameron and Mrs Brooks were both part of the so-called Chipping Norton set of powerful public figures that met regularly at private gatherings until the phone-hacking scandal broke.

In a television interview on Thursday night, Mr Cameron admitted for the first time that he had been riding with Mr Brooks, who is also a columnist on The Sunday Telegraph.

He told Channel 5 News's Political Editor Andy Bell in an interview: “It’s a matter of record that I have ridden horses with Rebekah Brooks’ husband in my constituency.”

The pair had been riding together once since May 2010, when Mr Cameron became Prime Minister, he said. However, the horse he rode since the election was not Raisa. He added: “Since becoming Prime Minister, I may have got on a horse once, but not that one.”

The Prime Minister, who was forced to disclose that he had attended intimate Christmas meals with Mrs Brooks, is long rumoured to have spent time horse-riding with Mrs Brooks, prompting speculation that he may have ridden Raisa.

One of the people claiming Mr Cameron went riding with Mrs Brooks was former News of the World journalist Paul McMullan, who was recorded in an undercover investigation by the New Statesman magazine. He said: “Cameron went horse riding regularly with Rebekah.

"I know, because as well as door-stepping celebrities, I've also door-stepped my ex-boss by hiding in the bushes, waiting for her to come past with Cameron on a horse . . . before the election to show that - you know - Murdoch was backing Cameron.”

Mrs Brooks took possession of the horse - one of only 12 loaned to members of the public that year - just a year after two people were jailed for phone hacking at the News of the World.

Since the phone hacking scandal deepened last summer, prompting the resignation of Mrs Brooks as chief executive of News International, Mr Cameron has been reluctant to shed light on his friendship with Mrs Brooks.

In January, Vanity Fair claimed Mr Cameron was so close to Ms Brooks that he signed his letters to her “love David”. Mr Cameron attended their wedding in 2009.

Mr Cameron is likely to be questioned about his friendship with Mrs Brooks by Lord Justice Leveson as part of his inquiry into press ethics.

The admission comes after Downing Street has refused for three days to say whether he had ridden the horse, or been allowed to ride any horse provided by Mrs Brooks.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said on Wednesday: “The only horses I am interested in are the type you can put a bet on. He has never been in an race in which I can back a horse.”

He said that all the meetings between Mrs Brooks and the Prime Minister were published last year: "Most of the Prime Minister’s meetings take place at rooms or at tables, and not on horseback.”

On Wednesday, Mrs Brooks’ former boss Rupert Murdoch leapt to her defence, writing on the Twitter micro-blogging website: “Now they are complaining about R Brooks saving an old horse from the glue factory.”

NOT SURE IF ALREADY MENTIONED,JIM MOCKRIDGE IS TO TAKE JAMES MURDOCH'S PLACE.

Badboy wrote:NOT SURE IF ALREADY MENTIONED,JIM MOCKRIDGE IS TO TAKE JAMES MURDOCH'S PLACE.

Never heard of Jim Mockridge Badboy.......but Cameron is looking decidedly dodgy.

NEW YORK: Three people who believe they were targeted by a private investigator working for Rupert Murdoch's News of the World while they were in the United States are considering suing his company in U.S. courts, a source close to the case said.

The lawsuits would be the first litigation filed against Murdoch's News Corp empire in the United States and could mark a significant escalation in a scandal that has already shaken Britain's media and political establishment.

Murdoch's British publishing arm News International has already handed out millions of dollars in settlements to celebrities and others who had their voice mails hacked by its journalists.

The source said London police had showed the three people documents seized from Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who worked for Murdoch's now-defunct tabloid News of the World.

The documents indicated Mulcaire had collected phone numbers and other information on the targeted individuals when they knew they were in the United States, said the source.

The evidence - in the form of detailed notes Mulcaire took regarding assignments he received from journalists at the newspaper - does not prove the persons targeted by Mulcaire had their voicemail hacked, the source said.

In at least one of the cases, said the source, Mulcaire's documentation also included at least one U.S. telephone number.

In January 2007, Mulcaire and Clive Goodman, the News of the World's chief reporter on Britain's royal family, pleaded guilty to charges related to phone hacking. Both were sentenced to brief terms of imprisonment.

All legal actions to date regarding alleged phone hacking by Murdoch journalists have been brought in U.K. courts. Recently, Murdoch's British publishing unit has made strenuous efforts to settle with claimants before their cases come to trial.

However, Mark Lewis, an English lawyer who has represented some of the highest-profile phone hacking claimants, is expected to visit the United States in April to consult with American lawyers about the possibility of filing phone hacking lawsuits in the U.S. court system.

In September last year, Lewis told reporters he had talked to American lawyers about filing possible claims against News Corp in New York.

Lewis' high profile clients have included the parents of murdered schoolgirl Millie Dowler. Revelations that the News of the World had hacked her mobile phone sparked widespread outrage and pushed the hacking scandal back into the headlines.

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News International phone hacking scandal

Main article: News International phone hacking scandal

In July 2011 Rupert Murdoch along with his son James gave testimony before a British parliamentary committee regarding phone hacking. In the U.K his media empire remains under fire as investigators continue to probe reports of other phone hacking.[62]

On 14 July, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons served a summons on Murdoch, his son James, and his former CEO Rebekah Brooks to testify before a committee on 19 July.[63] After an initial refusal, the Murdochs confirmed they would attend after the committee issued them a summons to Parliament.[64] The day before the committee, the website of the News Corporation publication The Sun was hacked, and a false story was posted on the front page claiming that Murdoch had died.[65] Murdoch described the day of the committee "the most humble day of my life". He argued that since he ran a global business of 53,000 employees and that the News of the World was "just 1%" of this, he was not ultimately responsible for what went on at the tabloid. He added that he had not considered resigning,[66] and that he and the other top executives had been completely unaware of the hacking.[67][68]

On 15 July Rupert Murdoch attended a private meeting in London with the family of Milly Dowler, where he personally apologised for the hacking of their murdered daughter's voicemail by a company he owns.[69][70] On 16 and 17 July, News International published two full-page apologies in many of Britain's national newspapers. The first apology took the form of a letter, signed by Rupert Murdoch, in which he said sorry for the "serious wrongdoing" that occurred. The second was titled "Putting right what's gone wrong", and gave more detail about the steps News International was taking to address the public's concerns.[70] In the wake of the allegations Murdoch accepted the resignations of Rebekah Brooks, head of Murdoch's British operations, and Les Hinton, head of Dow Jones who was chairman of Murdoch's British newspaper division when some of the abuses happened. They both deny any knowledge of any wrong-doing under their command.[71]

On the 27th February 2012, the following day after Murdoch's controversial release of the Sun on Sunday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers informs the Leveson Inquiry that Police are investigating a "network of corrupt officials" as part of their inquiries into phone hacking and police corruption. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers told the Leveson Inquiry that evidence suggested a "culture of illegal payments" at the Sun newspaper and that these payments allegedly made by the Sun were authorised at a senior level. [72]

5:39PM GMT 01 Mar 2012





The Leveson inquiry heard that the former Scotland Yard officer who twice refused to reopen the phone hacking investigation, enjoyed a series of previously undisclosed dinners and lunches with News of the World executives.


Mr Yates was also the subject of an email sent from a member of staff at the News of the World to the paper’s crime reporter, Lucy Panton which read, "thinks John Yates could be crucial here, really need exclusive splash line, so time to call in all those bottles of champagne," which she had allegedly bought for the officer.


Mr Yates, responded that, "those perceived favours had never been called in," and dismissed it as a "turn of phrase."


He resigned from the Metropolitan Police last year following criticism of his handling of the phone hacking scandal and scrutiny over his friendship with Neil Wallis, the former deputy editor of the paper who has since been arrested in the new Scotland Yard investigation into phone hacking.


The inquiry heard that the pair had dined and drank together at London restaurants Scalini, Scotts and Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental. Mr Yates said he did not declare these meetings in the Scotland Yard hospitality register because they were private and not work-related, but they do appear in his diary.

Harriet Harman has just been interviewed on the Andrew Marr show and discussed Rupert Murdoch.

Her opinion is that Murdoch was much too powerful and played the "divide and rule" policy.

His ownership of 37% of U.K. Press is far to much and the administration of these Papers proved how corrupt most of them were.

OFCOM is currently doing an enquiry on the ownership of so many Papers by one person.

The PCC is also under review and their role defined and implemented, no Press representative should be on the Board.

When asked about the Press complaint that the Sun Reporters were rounded up by the Police like common criminals, Harman said, well they have committed crimes and will be tried and punished.

Breaking News......Newscorp in trouble yet again. Accused of paying bribes to Russia, FBI investigating. Will report when more new available.

Arthur Edwards/News international, via Associated Press

Rupert Mudoch, right, met with staff members at The Sun in London last month.

By AMY CHOZICK

Published: March 4, 2012







.

Last Monday, British investigators said that News Corporation’s British tabloid, The Sun, had participated in widespread bribery to “a network of corrupted officials.”



Related

New Sunday Edition Signals That Murdoch Is Fighting Back (February 26, 2012)


Times Topics: James R. Murdoch | Rupert Murdoch




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James Murdoch, deputy chief operating officer of News Corporation. Last week, he resigned as head of the company's embattled British publishing unit.


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Then on Wednesday, the widening inquiry into illegal activity at News Corporation’s British newspapers led to James Murdoch’s resignation as head of the company’s embattled British publishing unit.

What happened back in New York? News Corporation’s stock went up.

The wave of incriminating headlines and the surging stock price reflect the cognitive dissonance generated by News Corporation’s phone hacking scandal. Even while Rupert Murdoch, the company’s chairman and chief executive, has doubled down on one of the newspapers at the center of the worsening scandal, creating a new Sunday edition of The Sun, investors have been cheering the possibility that the negative news in Britain could prompt the company to spin off its newspapers.

Last Tuesday, Chase Carey, News Corporation’s chief operating officer, said at a Deutsche Bank media conference in Palm Beach, Fla., that within the company “certainly there are a number of parties who feel — would push to looking at a way to spin the publishing business separate from the rest.”

James Murdoch’s resignation from News International inextricably links Mr. Carey to the British newspapers, properties he technically oversaw before but had little interest in, according to people with knowledge of the internal dynamics at the company. News International’s chief executive, Tom Mockridge, will now report directly to Mr. Carey, having previously reported to James Murdoch.

“Chase has no exposure whatsoever to the newspaper business, and Mockridge is a straight arrow,” said one of the people, who like the others requested anonymity to speak candidly about the company. “Either Chase learns the business, or they spin off the papers and Mockridge runs the new company.”

A News Corporation spokeswoman pointed to Mr. Carey’s defense of the newspapers at the conference in Florida, in which he said: “Our focus right now is in managing these businesses and improving their profitability.”

Wall Street has long disliked News International, publisher of The Sun and the closed News of the World. The unit accounts for less than 3 percent of News Corporation’s profits and brings outsize troubles. Analysts estimate that the cost of legal fees and settlements related to the hacking crisis could reach $1 billion. News Corporation has a market capitalization of $49 billion.

Other than newspapers, the company’s assets like the Fox network, the Fox studios and cable channels like FX accounted for nearly 90 percent of its $2.9 billion in profit in the six months that ended Dec. 31.

“Wall Street would love it even if negative news drove to a sale or separation of the newspaper group,” said Richard Greenfield, a media analyst at BTIG.

On Friday, News Corporation closed at $20.15, up 46 percent from a 52-week low of $13.83 reached last summer at the height of the revelations about phone hacking at News of the World. Shares have gained about 10 percent in the last 12 months.

The company is unlikely to spin off its newspapers as long as Mr. Murdoch, who turns 81 next week, runs the company. He is often said to have newspaper ink in his veins.

“He’s not even considering that path,” said one former executive at News Corporation who requested anonymity to talk about internal debates at the company.

On Feb. 26, Mr. Murdoch introduced The Sun on Sunday, partly to make up for the lost revenue at the closed News of the World, where reporters repeatedly hacked into voice mails.

The creation of The Sun on Sunday, which Mr. Murdoch said sold 3.26 million copies in its first week, also sent a message to News Corporation executives that, like it or not, Mr. Murdoch was sticking with the British publishing business.

(The company has not discussed spinning off News Corporation’s print assets in the United States like The Wall Street Journal, published by Dow Jones & Company, and The New York Post, according to people with knowledge of discussions within the company.)







A version of this article appeared in print on March 5, 2012, on page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: Staving Off a Scandal.
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4 Comments

Went to Sainsbury's late last night and there was a MASSIVE stack of the Sun on Sunday being wrapped up at the newspaper counter, ready to go back!

I think if the FBI accusation about Russia is proved, Murdoch, whether he likes it or not will be deemed unfit to Govern and banned from holding any
Directorships. The U.S. is far stricter than the U.K. on Good Governance.

]





















Sun on Sunday estimated to have lost more than 500,000 sales

News International's Sunday tabloid thought to have sold about 2.6m, according to early industry estimates




Mark Sweney

guardian.co.uk, Monday 5 March 2012 13.13 GMT
Article history



The Sun on Sunday is being offered at a cut price 50p. Photograph: Arthur Edwards/AFP/Getty Images


The Sun on Sunday is thought to have lost more than 500,000 for its second outing at the weekend, a fall of about 17% week on week according to very early unofficial industry estimates.

News International's second Sunday edition of the Sun, which sold about 3.22m copies when it launched on 26 February, is thought to have sold just more than 2.6m at the weekend, according to early figures from wholesalers and retailers.

These early estimates, which are subject to change as the full-weekend sales figures are consolidated in the coming days, represent a fall of between 17% and 19%, or 550,000-600,000 copies week on week.

The Sun on Sunday, which is being offered at a cut price 50p, is selling at almost exactly the same level as News of the World which was closed last summer with its circulation at 2.66m.

On Saturday Rupert Murdoch tweeted that a fall of the order of about 15% would be a "great result".

"What will second Sunday edition of Sun sell? My guess down fifteen per cent would be a great result," he tweeted at his official @rupertmurdoch account.

Early estimates put sales of the Sunday Mirror, which reverted back to its full price of £1 across most of the UK on the weekend, down about 6% week on week.

The Sunday Mirror fell about 30% when the Sunday edition of the Sun launched on 26 February.

If the early estimates prove to be a close approximation of the final official figures for the weekend, the Sunday Mirror sold about 1.15m copies at the weekend.

Its sales are now just marginally ahead of the 1.09m the Sunday Mirror was selling before the closure of News of the World last July.

Trinity Mirror stablemate the People, the biggest faller among the Sun Sunday's tabloid rivals on 26 February with about 35% of sales disappearing, is estimated to have fallen about a further 10% this weekend.

The People is estimated to have sold about 464,000 copies at the weekend, about 10,000 copies fewer than it was selling before the closure of NoW.

The People also reverted to its full price of £1 nationally on the weekend, except in the north and Tay regions of Scotland.

Richard Desmond's Daily Star Sunday, which suffered a 22% fall in sales following the launch of the Sun Sunday, is thought to have either maintained or even slightly increased sales at the weekend.

Daily Star Sunday is estimated to have sold just over 500,000 copies. The paper was selling 306,000 before the closure of the NoW.

Daily Star Sunday maintained its national 50% price cut to 50p to challenge Murdoch's new tabloid.

Stablemate the Sunday Express is estimated to be down slightly, by maybe a couple of percentage points week on week. The Sunday Express, which has not cut its £1.20 price, fell 11% in the first week that the Sun published a Sunday edition.

The Sunday Express is thought to have sold about 507,000 copies. It was selling 538,000 before the closure of News of the World.

The Mail on Sunday, which bucked the trend to grow sales last week by a slim 0.3% to about 1.9m, is thought to have slipped back by about 3% week on week. The MoS elected to maintain its £1.50 cover price despite the entry of the Sun on Sunday.

The MoS is thought to have sold about 1.84m copies, according to early estimates. It has roughly maintained its pre-NoW sales level.

• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".

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News Corp. Obstruction Evidence Mounts

By Greg Farrell - Mar 7, 2012 5:00 AM GMT
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Before Rebekah Brooks was arrested last year over her role in the News Corp. (NWSA) phone-hacking scandal, she staved off a police threat of obstruction charges related to the company unit she headed, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Based on a perceived lack of cooperation last April, Scotland Yard officials warned they would arrest Ian Burton, the lawyer Brooks retained to handle all police interactions with her unit, News International. Brooks, then the unit’s chief executive, defused the threat by sending two emissaries to Sue Akers, the director in charge of the police probe. They assured Akers the company would cooperate fully, the people said.





Enlarge image









James Murdoch, currently deputy chief operating officer of News Corp., gave up his title as executive chairman of News International last week. Photographer: Peter Foley/Bloomberg



Enlarge image









Pedestrians walk past the News Corp. offices in New York, U.S. Photographer: Paul Taggart/Bloomberg
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Court records and interviews with people briefed on the hacking investigation indicate the showdown between Brooks and Scotland Yard is just one episode in a persistent, five-year effort to contain the scandal in a manner the police and a U.K. judge have called obstructive.

“They are to be treated as deliberate destroyers of evidence,” said High Court Judge Geoffrey Vos at a Jan. 19 hearing in London at which the company announced it had settled 36 cases involving hacking victims.

Three months after the April police threat, Brooks was arrested on suspicion of corruption and conspiring to intercept communications. At that point, the company mounted an aggressive campaign to help the police identify any examples of illegal behavior.

Latest Disclosure

The latest disclosure in a series, made last week, involved a 2006 e-mail that detailed hacking at News of the World, the Sunday tabloid the company shut in response to the scandal. It showed Brooks, while editor of another News Corp. tabloid, The Sun, had been told by police that hacking victims were more widespread than the New York-based media company had admitted -- and included Brooks herself.

The e-mail, sent between two News of the World managers, suggests that from the beginning of the phone-hacking scandal, there was a conspiracy among senior executives to deceive the police and a separate, parliamentary probe into phone hacking.

The most significant of the revelations involves James Murdoch, the former News International executive chairman who, until last August, was widely considered to be the heir apparent to his father, Rupert Murdoch, as chief executive of News Corp.

E-Mail Deleted

In January of last year, eight days after police asked a News International tabloid to turn over any new evidence related to alleged voice-mail hacking, the company deleted a potentially incriminating e-mail from James Murdoch’s mailbox.

The younger Murdoch, currently deputy chief operating officer of News Corp., gave up his title as executive chairman of News International last week.

According to Linklaters LLP, the London law firm coordinating the company’s inquiry into alleged criminal behavior at News International, the deletion of James Murdoch’s e-mail files was part of a “stablisation and modernisation programme” put in motion by the company’s information technology department in January of last year.

The Murdoch e-mail was deleted 11 days before London police opened a new investigation into phone hacking at News International, a coincidence reported by The New York Times.

News International had asked HCL Technologies, a database management firm, about the possibility of “truncating a database” during the same month. HCL said in a letter to Parliament that it wasn’t able to fulfill the request.

The Plan

News International proceeded with its e-mail “stabilisation” plan until late January, when the police opened Operation Weeting, its current probe into phone hacking. At that point, the company halted its purge, according to a person briefed on the matter.

Earlier this year, a U.K. newspaper, the Guardian, reported that News International had sent out a directive on Jan. 12, 2011 -- three days before the deletion -- asking that employees retain their e-mails. News International spokeswoman Daisy Dunlop declined to comment on the Guardian report.

A hard copy of the deleted e-mail was subsequently discovered in the files of former News of the World editor Colin Myler. The note, from 2008, relayed to James Murdoch a lawyer’s warning that a union official suing the company was eager for the opportunity to demonstrate that phone-hacking was “rife” at News of the World, and not limited to a single “rogue” reporter, which had been the company’s official position.

Not Aware

Murdoch told Parliament on two occasions last year that he had never been made aware that phone-hacking was widespread at News of the World while he was chief executive of News International from 2007 to 2009.

After the note was discovered in December, Murdoch wrote to Parliament, saying he was confident he didn’t review the full e-mail at the time, given his quick response to it and the likelihood that he had received the message on his BlackBerry.

Bloomberg LP, the parent of Bloomberg News, competes with News Corp. units in providing financial news and information.

Parliament may issue a report as early as this month on its probe into phone-hacking at Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids. Its last report on the topic, from 2010, expressed exasperation at what lawmakers described as “collective amnesia” on the part of News International’s top management.

Based on disclosures since the last report, the forthcoming one will probably be even more critical of James Murdoch, Brooks and other senior News International executives who testified last year before the House of Commons’ select committee on culture, media and sport.

Other Probes

In addition to the parliamentary inquiry, News International is the subject of three separate criminal probes involving phone hacking, bribery of police officers and computer hacking. News International is also in the process of settling civil cases brought by celebrities and other public figures who claim their voice-mail accounts were regularly hacked.

Judge Vos admonished the company in open court in January over what he described as an intentional effort to delete e-mails pertaining to phone hacking.

In addition to his accusations about destruction of evidence, he ordered several laptops that had escaped scrutiny to be examined. The judge said they might contain clues as to why so many of the company’s e-mails were deleted as victim lawsuits against News International piled up.

The company is also center stage in the Leveson Inquiry, a London tribunal led by Judge Brian Leveson. He is charged with looking into the ethics of the media in the U.K.

Read Aloud

It was at this inquiry on Feb. 27 that the e-mail about Brooks’ knowledge of phone hacking in 2006 was read aloud. It was sent in September of that year by Tom Crone, an in-house lawyer, to Andy Coulson, who was at that time editor of News of the World.

Crone wrote the note a month after the arrest of Clive Goodman, the Royal Family reporter whose arrest for hacking kicked off the scandal. At the time, the police were trying, unsuccessfully, to get News International to give them access to Goodman’s files.

The reporter and Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who did contract work for News of the World, were charged with the illegal interception of voice mails belonging to members of the Royal Family and their staff.

The e-mail begins: “Here’s [what] Rebekah told me about info relayed to her by cops.”

Police Plan

According to the e-mail, a police representative had informed Brooks that phone-hacking victims extended beyond members of the Royal Family, which was the cause of the original investigation. The police were intent on bringing the case to trial, “to demonstrate the scale” of the phone-hacking effort.

Prosecutors never got the opportunity to present “the full case” because the two men charged, Goodman and Mulcaire, pleaded guilty.

In December, an outside lawyer who reviewed a cache of e-mails in 2007 between Goodman and five editors, including Coulson, expressed surprise at the “active involvement” displayed by News of the World editors in Goodman’s case.

The lawyer, Lawrence Abramson, who reviewed the e-mails when he was at the Harbottle & Lewis LLP law firm, testified at the Leveson inquiry that Goodman’s editors were “trying to influence the way the prosecution was being conducted -- or the way the defense was being conducted.”

“And there is one e-mail that’s been redacted that I thought would not reflect well on…” Abramson continued, before being stopped because his testimony was straying into areas under criminal investigation.

Coulson Blamed

The emergence of evidence suggesting Brooks’ awareness of the scope of phone-hacking comes at a time when she is under increased scrutiny.

Until last summer, blame for phone hacking had attached to Coulson, her successor at News of the World. In 2003, Brooks became editor of The Sun, which kept her clear of suspicion in phone hacking issues that arose in 2005 and 2006.

Her position has changed in recent months, as the police have arrested 10 current and former journalists from The Sun in connection with the widespread payment of police officers and other public officials for information.

Cheryl Carter, Brooks’ longtime personal assistant, was arrested on Jan. 6, on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

At the Leveson inquiry last week, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Akers testified that Scotland Yard had uncovered a “network of corrupt officials” who had received payments from journalists at The Sun.

Culture of Bribes

“There also appears to have been a culture at the Sun of illegal payments, and systems have been created to facilitate those payments, whilst hiding the identity of the officials receiving the money,” Akers added.

David Wilson, Brooks’s spokesman, declined to comment on the police investigation.

A year ago, Brooks was in charge of the relationship between News International and Scotland Yard. Beginning in January 2011, when Operation Weeting was started, she wouldn't let Akers or her detectives deal directly with executives at News International, according to Akers’ testimony before Parliament last summer. Scotland Yard had to put in requests for information with BCL Burton Copeland, the outside law firm.

From the start, Akers asked the company to turn over all internal reports and inquiries related to phone hacking, according to an executive familiar with the matter. That request covered some 2,500 e-mails reviewed in 2007 and sent to the law firm of Harbottle & Lewis.

Missing E-Mails

On March 24, Burton Copeland requested the documents from Harbottle. A week later, the file was delivered to News International’s office in Wapping. Brooks’s newly hired deputy, William Lewis, saw that it contained only about 100 e-mails. He and another new hire, Simon Greenberg, asked the IT department to reconstruct the rest of the package.

Meanwhile, it was clear that the 100 or so e-mails that News International had in hand were damaging. One was a note from Coulson, former editor of News of the World, to Goodman, complaining about the amount of money it would take to bribe a police official to get a copy of the phone numbers of Royal Family staff members.

After leaving News International in 2007 because of the Goodman case, Coulson was hired as a communications adviser to David Cameron, who became the U.K.’s prime minister in 2010.

The Threat

On April 14, the police arrested James Weatherup, an editor from News of the World. Burton Copeland removed some of Weatherup’s work-related possessions from News International before the police arrived, transferring them to its own offices.

Akers threatened to arrest Ian Burton, a principal at the law firm, and bring obstruction of justice charges, according to two people briefed on the matter, unless News International began to cooperate.

Brooks dispatched her two deputies, Lewis and Greenberg, to meet face-to-face with Akers and bear the brunt of her anger, said three people with knowledge of the matter.

Akers lectured the men about the importance of dealing directly with News International executives instead of a law firm. Lewis and Greenberg assured her that going forward, the company would cooperate completely.

A few days later, Brooks hosted a videoconference to update two colleagues at News Corp. headquarters in New York: Lon Jacobs, then the general counsel, and Joel Klein, chief executive of News Corp.’s education division, who was advising News Corp. chief executive Rupert Murdoch on the matter.

James Murdoch attended in London, along with Burton, Dan Tench, a lawyer from the firm Olswang, Lewis and Greenberg.

Scotland Yard

Klein and Jacobs had already heard about Akers’s anger over the removal of Weatherup’s possessions, according to two attendees who asked not to be identified. Brooks assured the men that Lewis and Greenberg had put things right with Scotland Yard and that Akers was no longer “mad” at News International.

After learning about the Harbottle file and the e-mail involving Coulson and payments to police officers, Jacobs asked whether Coulson would be arrested, according to two attendees. Brooks said that was likely.

Wouldn’t Coulson’s arrest be a problem for the company? Jacobs asked. Brooks dismissed his concern, saying Coulson’s arrest was much more likely to be a problem for David Cameron.

Coulson was arrested three months later.

Brooks herself came under fire in early July after the Guardian revealed that journalists working for her in 2002, when she was editor of News of the World, had sanctioned the hacking of a cell phone belonging to a 13-year-old girl who had been abducted and murdered.

Brooks resigned from News International on July 15, a week after Coulson’s arrest. Two days later, she was arrested, questioned and released, pending charges.

Apologies for those reading this, I still don't understand how I manage to get 10 foot of space before the Article appears. Anyway, on the News
yesterday the Reporter said Rebekah Wade was previously married to one of the Mitchell Brothers from East Enders, can't remember his name , he is still on BBC T.V.

James Murdoch should lose his BSkyB job after quitting as boss of his dad's scandal-hit British newspaper empire, MP demands
Favoured son of Rupert Murdoch steps down as executive chairman of News International
Major investor says Mr Murdoch could lose job as BSkyB chairman too

James Murdoch will be based in New York will be working in TV business

Follows accusations by MPs he played part in 'cover-up' over phone hacking

Departure 'effort to preserve Murdoch's UK newspapers by removing links with old leadership' says chief of committee investigating hacking
Shares in News Corp - owner of NI - surge by 2% after announcement

Daily Mail Report
By James White, Michael Seamark and Rob Cooper

Last updated at 6:39 PM on 1st March 2012


Comments (53) Share

Stepping down: James Murdoch has quit as executive chairman of News International
James Murdoch must stand down as chairman of BSkyB after quitting as boss of his father's UK newspaper empire, an MP has said.
Labour MP Chris Bryant tonight said James Murdoch should quit the broadcaster completely after a major investor said he is out of favour within the News Corp empire.

The 39-year-old quit as executive chairman of News International yesterday in a bid to distance himself from the increasingly toxic phone-hacking scandal engulfing his father's empire.
Tonight MP Chris Bryant - who said phone-hacking will be the single largest corporate corruption case for 250 years - demanded that James Murdoch stands down from his father's television business too.
'James Murdoch should go - I tried to get him voted out at the last shareholders meeting,' he said.
'He has shown himself to be a completely incompetent manager or a mendacious character. Either way I don't think somebody of that calibre should be running the biggest broadcaster in Britain.'
Mr Bryant spoke out after Crispin Odey, whose fund owns 2.7 per cent of the broadcaster, suggested that he could be forced to stand down from his other positions.
James Murdoch's resignation raises fresh doubts about whether he will succeed his father as chief-executive of parent company News Corp with his older siblings Elisabeth and Lachlan waiting in the wings.
As he left News International yesterday it was announced he would focus on expanding the TV arm of News Corporation - which includes BSkyB.

Mr Odey said James Murdoch's future will not be decided by shareholders.
More...Police horse loaned to Rebekah Brooks 'was returned in poor condition', it's revealed (as Rupert Murdoch rides to her defence on Twitter)
Rebekah Brooks 'had her phone hacked twice a week by the News of the World while at The Sun'
RIGHTMINDS: Bribing public officials is illegal and morally wrong. But it's the suborning our politicians that's truly toxic, argues STEPHEN GLOVER
LATEST CHARTS: How BSkyB shares reacted today

When asked whether it was likely that Mr Murdoch would leave as chairman, the Odey Asset Management boss told the Telegraph: 'It's starting to feel that way... There is definitely change afoot. They'd have to do something pretty drastic to turn things around and I'm not sure they can.'
BSkyB currently employs around 16,000 workers. In 2010 it posted a profit of almost £900million.

Scroll down for video Done deal: Rupert Murdoch, centre, is seen leaving a restaurant in Dublin yesterday with NI chief executive Tom Mockridge, in orange tie, where they would have spoken of James Murdoch's resignation
However, a BSkyB source said: 'Nothing has changed at BSkyB. James Murdoch was re-elected by shareholders last year; he is as committed as ever and he retains the support of the board.'
Mr Murdoch’s sudden resignation from News International, publisher of The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun, came after months of fierce criticism over his handling of the scandal and repeated questions over just how much he knew about phone hacking at the News of the World.
The controversy has seen journalists arrested and the firm forced to set aside a £20million fund to pay damages to those whose voice messages were intercepted.
Although the move distances him from the firestorm that has engulfed his father’s UK newspapers, Mr Murdoch, 39, is expected within weeks to be criticised in a Commons culture, media and sport committee report.
POLITICIANS QUEUE UP TO BLAST MURDOCH ON HIS WAY OUT
Don Foster, the co-chairman of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary policy committee on culture, media and sport, was one of a number of MPs who hit out at James Murdoch on his exit.

Mr Foster said: 'James Murdoch's resignation has all the appearances of being bundled in a car, away from the scene of the crime.
'There still are unanswered questions on James Murdoch's knowledge of phone hacking at the News of the World.

'He must make clear that his move to New York will not be a barrier to getting answers and his taking responsibility for what happened on his watch.'

Harriet Harman, Labour's deputy leader and shadow culture, media and sport secretary, said: 'After the shocking evidence given this week at the Leveson Inquiry James Murdoch had no option but to go.
'The practices at News International have stained the proud tradition of the British press.

'We must ensure that all offences are brought to justice and that a proper framework for press complaints is established.

'But never again must we allow any individual or organisation to acquire such a concentration of power when it comes to media ownership.'

Days ago the Murdoch empire was rocked again when the Leveson Inquiry was told of a ‘culture of illegal payments’ at the NoW’s sister paper, The Sun.
Police are also understood to want to question him about ‘bombshell’ emails held at a data storage facility in India.
Discussions are reported to have taken place with the Crown Prosecution Service about whether he should be interviewed under caution. Scotland Yard last night said it was ‘not prepared to discuss’ whether there was a warrant out for his arrest.
As speculation about James' future grows, his father Rupert Murdoch, who is News Corporation's chairman and chief executive officer, issued a statement that pointedly did not mention any of his son's work in UK newspapers.
He said: 'We are all grateful for James' leadership at News International and across Europe and Asia, where he has made lasting contributions to the group's strategy in paid digital content and its efforts to improve and enhance governance programmes.
'He has demonstrated leadership and continues to create great value at Star TV, Sky Deutschland, Sky Italia, and BSkyB.
'Now that he has moved to New York, James will continue to assume a variety of essential corporate leadership mandates, with particular focus on important pay-TV businesses and broader international operations.'
Today shares in News Corp surged up 2 per cent on Wall Street as investors reacted positively to the announcement.

Mr Murdoch senior dined with News International boss Tom Mockridge in Dublin yesterday in a meeting that now appears to have been finalising plans for James to step down.

James Murdoch said: 'I deeply appreciate the dedication of my many talented colleagues at News International who work tirelessly to inform the public and am confident about the tremendous momentum we have achieved under the leadership of my father and Tom Mockridge.
'With the successful launch of The Sun on Sunday and new business practices in place across all titles, News International is now in a strong position to build on its successes in the future.
'As Deputy Chief Operating Officer, I look forward to expanding my commitment to News Corporation's international television businesses and other key initiatives across the Company.'
Mr Mockridge was appointed chief executive officer of News International last summer after former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks was forced to resign in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.
Mr Murdoch found himself at the centre of the hacking scandal after it was claimed he had been told that phone-hacking was more widespread at the News of the World than was originally admitted.

He had previously told the Commons Culture Committee he was not aware of the notorious 'For Neville' document, which blew apart the company's stance that hacking was the fault of a single rogue reporter - former royal correspondent Clive Goodman, who was paying private investigator Glenn Mulcaire to carry it out.
Family business: James Murdoch (left) and Rupert Murdoch giving evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in the House of Commons in July last year
But Tom Crone, former legal chief of NoW publisher News Group Newspapers told MPs he was 'certain' he told Mr Murdoch Jr about the now-notorious email.
He was also branded a 'mafia boss' by committee member Tom Watson who attacked News International's 'code of silence' over the phone hacking scandal.
At a hearing in November, Mr Watson said: Mr Watson said: 'You must be the first Mafia boss in history who didn't know he was running a criminal enterprise.'
John Whittingdale, chairman of the Commons committee, said Mr Murdoch’s departure was ‘unsurprising’.

But he claimed the resignation might signal Rupert Murdoch’s commitment to stay in the UK market. The media mogul launched the Sun On Sunday last weekend – with son James conspicuous by his absence.

However, Chase Carey, News Corps chief operating officer, revealed on Tuesday that the board might consider ridding itself of its British newspapers, which form a small part of the Murdoch empire.
James Murdoch had to rely on the large family stake in News Corp to remain on its board last November amid fears that his links to the hacking scandal would damage the company’s reputation in the U.S.
Victims of phone hacking welcomed the news. Labour MP Chris Bryant, who received £30,000, said the resignation was ‘long overdue’.
‘On his watch, we have seen the biggest corporate corruption scandal since 1720 and historic titles like The Sun brought into disrepute,’ he added. Mr Murdoch remains News Corporation deputy chief operating officer and keeps responsibility for BSkyB, but for how long remains to be seen.

Enlarge ANALYSIS: How James Murdoch went from heir-apparent to an uncertain futureOnce the undisputed heir-apparent to his father's media empire, James Murdoch's future seemed less certain as he took a step back from the family's media empire today.
The 39-year-old News Corp deputy chief operating officer initially appeared to be more than capable of surviving the unfolding crisis engulfing News International - initially impressing some with his steely response, including the dramatic closure of the News of the World.

But claims that he knew about the now-notorious 'For Neville' email, despite repeatedly insisting he was not aware of it, have dogged him.
And his defiant performance at his father Rupert Murdoch's side when he faced the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee last July came, reports suggested, amid efforts within the family to oust him.
Right hand man: James Murdoch was seen as his father's heir apparent until the phone hacking scandal broke under his leadership
Those were resisted but he then had to rely mostly on the large family stake in News Corp to remain on its board at all.

In November Mr Murdoch Jr survived as a director of BSkyB despite nearly 45 per cent of non-News Corporation shareholders failing to back him at the company's annual general meeting.
BSkyB said that excluding votes cast by News Corporation, Mr Murdoch received the support of 55.7 per cent of independent shareholders, with 31.4 per cent opposed and 12.9 per cent withheld.
There had been calls for him to resign his role as chairman amid fears that his links to the inquiry into phone hacking at News Corporation would damage BSkyB's reputation.

Born in London in 1972 as one of three children from Rupert's second marriage to Anna, James had an unusual start to his career.

At Harvard University he drew cartoons for the satirical magazine Lampoon and also set up a hip-hop record label, Rawkus, in the mid-1990s.

The company was making a small profit when it was bought by News Corporation and James returned to the family business as head of the firm's music division.
Enlarge
He ventured into the burgeoning dotcom market, investing in a series of internet ventures, and is credited by some for piquing Murdoch senior's interest in cyberspace.

But like many other dotcom investors, James met with indifferent results and News Corporation's foray into the market was short-lived.

James's mixed early performance did not dent his father's confidence in his abilities and in 2000 he was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of News Corporation subsidiary Star TV.

He proved himself in the tough Asian pay TV market by rapidly improving the Hong Kong-based company's fortunes. Star moved into profit after building a strong presence in India and won 'landing rights' in mainland China.

Cries of nepotism greeted his appointment in November 2003 as chief executive of BSkyB - the youngest head of a FTSE 100 company.

In December 2007 he was handed the task of leading his father's media empire in Europe and Asia with direct responsibility for the strategic and operational development of News Corporation's television, newspaper and related digital assets there and in the Middle East.

Four years later he took on the newly-created post of deputy chief operating officer of News Corporation - the third most senior figure in the organisation.

But as the spotlight remains on the Murdoch Empire, today's news of James Murdoch standing down as executive chairman of News International is likely to cast doubts on the future of his once-glittering career.

Walking away: James Murdoch will have no more involvement in News International's publishing of British newspapers at the Wapping headquarters in London (pictured)
Video: James Murdoch was embroiled in the controversy surrounding the News of the World in July 2011

Reuters recap on events

Timeline: News Corp and the phone-hacking scandal
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(Reuters) - Here is a timeline of the major events in the British phone-hacking scandal since July:

July 4 - A lawyer for the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler says police have told him that her voicemail messages had been hacked, possibly by a News of the World investigator.

July 7 - News Corp announces it will close the News of the World. The July 10 edition is to be the last.

July 8 - Andy Coulson, a former News of the World editor who also served as Prime Minister David Cameron's chief media adviser until resigning in January 2011, is arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications. The News of the World's former royal editor, Clive Goodman, is re-arrested.

July 11 - Murdoch withdraws News Corp's offer to spin off BSkyB's Sky News channel, made to help win approval for News Corp's bid for 61 percent of BSkyB it does not own.

July 13 - News Corp withdraws its bid for BSkyB. This pre-empts a planned vote in parliament.

-- Tom Crone, legal manager at News International, resigns.

July 14 - Rupert Murdoch tells the Wall Street Journal, part of his empire, that News Corp handled the crisis "extremely well in every way possible," making only "minor mistakes."

July 15 - Rebekah Brooks, a former News of the World editor, resigns as chief executive of News International.

-- Les Hinton, who as executive chairman of News International told parliament in 2009 that any problem with hacking was limited to one case, resigns as chief executive of Murdoch's Dow Jones & Co, publisher of the WSJ.

July 16/17 - A direct apology from Rupert Murdoch is carried in British national newspapers with the headline "We are sorry."

July 17 - Detectives arrest Brooks.

-- Paul Stephenson, London's police commissioner, resigns after coming under fire over the appointment of former News of the World deputy editor, Neil Wallis, as a public relations adviser to the force.

July 19 - Rupert Murdoch, questioned by parliament's Culture, Media and Sports committee, says he was "shocked, appalled and ashamed" when he heard about the Dowler case. Murdoch denies he considers himself personally responsible. James Murdoch also appears before the committee. Brooks also joins her former bosses in apologizing.

July 20 - Parliament's home affairs committee releases report criticizing News International's attempts to "deliberately thwart" the original hacking investigation.

July 21 - Crone and Colin Myler, ex-editor of the News of the World, say James Murdoch's statement to the committee -- that he had been unaware in 2008 of an e-mail that suggested wrongdoing was more widespread -- was mistaken.

Aug 10 - Murdoch endorses top lieutenant Chase Carey as the preferred choice to succeed him as News Corp CEO.

Oct 21 - Murdoch deflects attempts by investors to remove him as chairman of News Corp at the company's annual meeting. He also retains his sons James and Lachlan as directors.

Oct 24 - Hinton appears before the parliamentary committee for a second time, saying he had not been complicit in a cover-up and that he had not realized the scale of the problem.

November 4 - Police arrest a 48-year-old in connection with payments made to police. Two company sources identify the man as Sun reporter Jamie Pyatt. The Sun is Britain's largest circulation daily newspaper.

-- Police believe the number of people targeted for phone message eavesdropping is almost 5,800, some 2,000 more than originally thought.

November 7 - News International admits its staff ordered surveillance to be carried out on two lawyers representing victims suing the media group over the scandal.

November 8 - The News of the World paid former police officer Derek Webb to spy on Prince William, the parents of "Harry Potter" actor Daniel Radcliffe and a host of other high-profile people, the BBC says.

November 10 - James Murdoch, in a second appearance before the parliamentary committee, denies he misled parliament about the extent of his knowledge of hacking at News of the World. Murdoch blames other senior executives for not telling him more about potential evidence of widespread hacking.

-- Murdoch reiterates that Myler and Crone had not shown him the transcripts, contained in an email dubbed the "For Neville" email, and says Crone misled parliament.

-- Murdoch says that members of the committee of MPs had also been surveillance targets of the newspaper, and he apologizes "unreservedly" to Tom Watson, one of the targets.

November 14 - The public inquiry, chaired by Lord Leveson and set up by Cameron, begins its investigations into newspaper practices.

November 29 - Paul McMullan, a reporter at the News of the World tells a public inquiry that former editors of the newspaper, including Andy Coulson, were aware that phone-hacking was taking place at the tabloid.

November 30 - Police arrest a 31-year old woman as part of their inquiry into illegal telephone hacking. Industry sources say the woman is Bethany Usher, a former reporter at the News of the World.

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Breaking News In view of the hacking in the NOTW and now the investigation about bribery by The Sun, ofcom is to consider whether James Murdoch is a fit and proper person to run bskyb.





Ofcom steps up test of James Murdoch's fitness to keep BSkyB role

Media regulator's Project Apple examines phone-hacking evidence to decide on 39-year-old's stewardship




Dan Sabbagh and Jason Deans

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 March 2012 23.54 GMT
Article history



James Murdoch, who is said to be determined to retain his position at the head of BSkyB. Photograph: Miguel Villagran/Getty Images


Ofcom has stepped up its investigation into whether James Murdoch is a "fit and proper" person to sit on the board of BSkyB, forming a project team to examine evidence of phone hacking and corrupt payments emerging from the police and the Leveson inquiry.

The media regulator set up a dedicated group of seven or eight staff under the name Project Apple at around the turn of the year as part of an assessment that is also taking in whether News Corporation is a fit and proper controlling investor in the satellite broadcaster.

If Ofcom concluded that either Murdoch or News Corp were not appropriate owners, the regulator could revoke Sky's licence to broadcast in the UK, forcing it to switch off its channels, unless Murdoch stepped down from the board or News Corp sold its 39.1% stake.

The existence of Project Apple emerged following a freedom of information disclosure by Ofcom in response to questions from the Financial Times. Board meeting minutes released by Ofcom show that members discussed the existence of the project on 24 January and that the regulator's general counsel had "compiled files of relevant advice and evidence".

It is understood the Ofcom officials are liaising with the Metropolitan Police's Weeting and Elveden teams investigating hacking and bribery allegations – and studying evidence given to the Leveson inquiry on press standards. Ofcom's work is still at an early, or assessment stage, but guidance issued by the regulator makes it clear that it could make a ruling on the "fit and proper" status of Murdoch or News Corp ahead of the conclusion of any criminal trials.

Although Murdoch last week stepped down as executive chairman of News International, the owner of the Sun and the Times, the 39-year-old is determined to remain as the head of BSkyB. He took over from his father as chairman at the end of 2007, having spent the previous four years as chief executive.

However, Murdoch faces a number of challenges to his continuing chairmanship of Sky. In addition to Ofcom's inquiry, his stewardship of News International will be judged as part of a wider inquiry into phone hacking at the News of the World by MPs on the culture, media and sport select committee. Their final report is due later this spring.

Sky declined to comment on the developing Ofcom investigation, but insiders insisted the company was relaxed given that the regulator had an ongoing duty to ensure that any broadcaster passes the fit and proper tests as laid out in law. The company believes that Ofcom's position has not altered since Ed Richards, its chief executive, wrote to three Lib Dem MPs in July of last year to say that it was "continuing to gather and analyse information" from the Met and elsewhere.


Meanwhile, the solicitor acting for Rebekah Brooks, the former News International chief executive, accused the Leveson inquiry into phone hacking and media ethics of presiding over a "spectacular failure" in allowing a senior Scotland Yard officer to give evidence about the arrest of Sun journalists over alleged illegal payments to public officials.

Stephen Parkinson, writing in the Daily Telegraph, said Metropolitan police deputy assistant commissioner Sue Akers' comments could threaten the arrested Sun journalists' right to a fair trial. Parkinson, the head of criminal litigation at Kingsley Napley, said: "Those of us representing the current and former journalists, particularly at the Sun, who bore the brunt of the prejudicial comments, will inevitably make the point that publicity of this kind does not fade from the memory."

Police chief's comments may threaten fair trials for journalists

The solicitor for Rebekah Brooks has questioned whether she would receive a fair trial after a “spectacular failure” allowed a senior police officer to give evidence about corruption allegations at News International.









Image 1 of 3

Stephen Parkinson, the laywer who represented Rebekah Brooks of News Of The World Photo: JEFF GILBERT
































By Mark Hughes, Crime Correspondent

7:00PM GMT 08 Mar 2012







Writing in The Telegraph, Stephen Parkinson said that Miss Akers’ comments could threaten the right of journalists who have been arrested in the ongoing investigation to receive a fair trial.


Last week Mrs Akers told the inquiry that there was a “culture of illegal payments” at The Sun newspaper.


She said that the newspaper paid a “network of corrupt officials” for stories. The payments, Miss Akers said, were sanctioned by senior executives at the newspaper.


This week it was revealed that the Attorney General is considering whether those remarks could amount to a contempt of court.


Miss Brooks is one of 17 current and former News International journalists arrested in Operation Elveden, the Scotland Yard investigation into allegations of corrupt payments from journalists to police officers.



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Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Parkinson said: “There is no excuse for the spectacular failure that occurred last week.

“Normally our system protects those who are suspects in criminal investigations reasonably well … It restricts the circulation of facts, comment and speculation about their guilt or innocent.

“Last week, that did not happen – and it has not happened for much of the last seven months. Witnesses have been summoned before both parliamentary committees and the Leveson Inquiry.

“As a result, much prejudicial material has come into the public domain.”

Mr Parkinson, the head of criminal litigation at Kingsley Naopley, was particularly critical of Leveson Inquiry for allowing Paul McMullan to accuse Mrs Brooks of being the “criminal in chief”.

He writes: “This was received uncritically. Mrs Brooks had been denied permission to be a core participant in the inquiry, so no one was there on her behalf to challenge the evidence.”

He goes on to criticise Miss Akers’ testimony which she provided after being asked, Mr Parkinson says, to “provide a statement about the investigation into police corruption providing as much detail as possible …”

Mr Parkinson adds: “DAC Akers took full advantage of that opportunity, alleging that there had been a culture at the Sun of illegal payments to a network of public officials ... She might not have mentioned names, but it did not take much to fill in the gaps.”

Mr Parkinson claims that the comments have potentially prejudiced any future trial.

He adds: “The judge will be bound to consider – if there is ever a prosecution – whether a fair trial is possible. Those of us representing the current and former journalists, particularly at the Sun, who bore the brunt of the prejudicial comments, will inevitably make the point that publicity of this kind does not fade from the memory.”

News Corp. in Talks to Hire Bloomberg Executive
January 28, 2012 at 8:00 am PT
inShare.SharePrint News Corp. is in serious talks to hire former Bloomberg LP chief executive Lex Fenwick to be the new chief of Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co., according to people familiar with the matter.

The hire, while not final, would fill a position vacated six months ago when the previous CEO, Les Hinton, stepped down amid the phone-hacking scandal at News Corp.’s UK newspaper division. When he resigned, Mr. Hinton, who ran the division before he joined Dow Jones, said that he was “ignorant of what apparently happened” at one of the company’s tabloid newspapers earlier, but characterized his lack of knowledge as “irrelevant” and said it was “proper” for him to step down.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

Rebekah Brooks among six arrested in phone-hacking investigation

Former Sun editor held by Operation Weeting detectives on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice


Vikram Dodd and Josh Halliday

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 13 March 2012 11.00 GMT
Article history



Rebekah Brooks, the fomer Sun and News of the World editor, was among six arrested today in Operation Weeting's phone-hacking investigation. Photograph: Barry Batchelor/PA


Rebekah Brooks is among six people arrested by Scotland Yard detectives on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, as part of the investigation into phone hacking.


The former News International chief executive was arrested at her home in Oxfordshire by detectives from Operation Weeting. Sources also said that her husband, racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks, was arrested.


The Metropolitan police refused to confirm the names of those arrested, but said that a 43-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man had been held. News International and the lawyer for Brooks declined to comment on the reports.


This morning's arrests took place between 5am and 7am at addresses in London, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Hertfordshire.


The Met police said a 39-year-old man was arrested in Hampshire, a 46-year-old man was arrested in west London, and a 48-year-old man was arrested at a business address in east London. All six are currently being interviewed at police stations.


Another of the men arrested is Mark Hanna, the director of group security at News International. A second of those arrested was described by News International sources as being a "non-editorial employee"; their name was not released by the company.


Scotland Yard said in a statement: "A number of addresses connected to the arrests are being searched. Today's operation follows consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service."


Police said the arrests did not result from information passed to them by News Corporation's management and standards committee (MSC).


The arrests form the biggest single swoop yet by the Met police in its ongoing investigation into alleged voicemail interception. So far 23 people have been held under Operation Weeting, with two people released without charge.


Brooks was also previously arrested on 17 July last year on appointment at a London police station on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section1(1) Criminal Law Act 1977 and on suspicion of corruption allegations contrary to Section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906.


The former Sun and News of the World editor was held in the summer 48 hours after she resigned as News International's chief executive.


Rebekah Brooks became editor of the News of the World in 2000, before moving to the same position at the Sun in 2003. A close confident of Rupert Murdoch in her time at the titles, she was elevated to become chief executive at News International in 2009, until she was forced to resign in July of last year as hacking allegations mounted in the wake of the revelation that a phone belonging to missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler was targeted.

Both Rebekah and Charlie Brooks are close Oxfordshire neighbours of David Cameron. Their friendship with the prime minister came under fresh scrutiny recently after Cameron admitted he did ride a retired police horse lent to Rebekah Brooks by Scotland Yard in 2008. Cameron described his fellow Old Etonian Charlie Brooks as "a friend of mine of 30 years' standing", but attempted to draw a line under the so-called "Horsegate" saga when he said he had not been riding with Brooks since the 2010 election.

Charlie Brooks had been hoping to attend the Cheltenham festival today, writing in his column for the Daily Telegraph that "the happiest moment of my year" is about three hours before the first race "queuing behind Alan Brazil for my, but not his, first pint of Guinness of the meeting."




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Apparently a very Senior Executive from News International is involved , not named yet, despite all this Newscorp is still showing a profit and shares have not dropped. There is speculation though as to whether the Murdoch Family will be allowed to keep it's majority shareholding because the U.S.
has the right to force them to sell part of their holdings .

By Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent

3:47PM GMT 13 Mar 2012







With these comments, made at a Brussels press conference on March 2, David Cameron attempted to draw a line under the “horsegate” controversy.


After days of questioning from The Daily Telegraph, the Prime Minister had been forced to admit that he had ridden a horse loaned to Mr Brooks’ wife, the ex-tabloid editor Rebekah Brooks, by the Metropolitan police.


Crucially, however, Mr Cameron had not admitted to the more damaging assertion that he had been riding with Mrs Brooks, as had been alleged by former News of the World features editor Paul McMullan.


Questions are now being asked about the depth of Mr Cameron’s friendship with Mr Brooks because, from reports over recent years, Mr Brooks has made little mention of his friendship with the future Prime Minister.


A November 2009 article for GQ magazine, headlined “The Eton factor”, focused on Mr Brooks’ friendship with Mr Cameron’s lawyer brother Alex, now 48.