NEWS CORP chairman Rupert Murdoch is due to fly to London today to take charge of the phone hacking crisis which has engulfed his media empire.
The crisis seriously threatens his ambitions to take full control of satellite broadcaster, BSkyB, following prime minister David Cameron’s declaration that British politicians have for long had too close relationships with media owners.
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg last night called for News International's chief executive Rebekah Brooks, who was editor of the News of the Worldat the time when mobile phones were hacked, to quit.
“The whole senior management” of News International had to ask itself “how on earth it could have presided over this without appearing to know what was going on,” he said.
“Someone somewhere higher up the food chain needs to be held to account”.
James Murdoch, son of Mr Murdoch, pulled the plug on the News of World, earlier this week after claims it paid private investigators to illegally intercept the voicemail messages of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, bereaved military families and relatives of London bombing victims. It is also accused of paying thousands of pounds illegally to corrupt police officers.
Ms Brooks, who has been removed from leading the company’s internal investigation into the phone hacking, yesterday told journalists at the paper that worse revelations were on the way, and that was why they had to close down the paper after this Sunday’s edition.
She added that “in a year you’ll understand why these decisions were taken”.
The News of the World brand had become “toxic”, she told staff in Wapping in East London, but she defended her decision to stay in her post, saying that she was “a lightning conductor” for all of the attacks upon News International.
Staff in the newspaper will be made redundant, but Ms Brooks said she hoped to find jobs “wherever possible” for most of them in other titles. “You may be angry with me, I understand that. But I’m angry at people who did this and feel bitterly betrayed,” she declared.
Andy Coulson, former editor of the paper and ex-communications chief for David Cameron, was questioned by police for nine hours after he was arrested early yesterday, before he was bailed until October.
Former correspondent with the paper Clive Goodman, who was jailed in 2007 for hacking, was arrested by police yesterday. Police also searched his desk in the London office of the Daily Star on Sunday, where he now works. He was released last night.
News International’s difficulties threaten to worsen following allegations that a senior, but unnamed, executive destroyed millions of e-mail records charting contacts between editors, reporters and outsiders. The destruction of e-mails could yet prove to be the most dangerous element to the crisis, which has sparked falls in the value of News International’s buyout target, BSkyB and raised jitters among investors in the parent company, News Corp.
The files dating back to 2005, according to the Guardiannewspaper, recorded daily contacts between reporters, editors and private investigators – when Mr Coulson was still editor – but the majority have been destroyed.
The destruction occurred on two occasions – the latest last January, months after News International said it was doing everything possible to co-operate with the Metropolitan Police’s investigation.
Facing criticism for his handling of events, Mr Cameron yesterday announced two inquiries and the replacement of the much-derided Press Complaints Commission with stronger self-regulation by the press.
