Rupert Murdoch's Control Of News Corp Under Threat

Independent directors of News Corp. are beginning to discuss whether or not Rupert Murdoch can stay on as the CEO of the company he founded and has almost completely dominated, Bloomberg is reporting.

Murdoch has been at the head of News Corp and its Australian predecessors since 1952, and he and his family have maintained an iron grip on the company ever since. Yet, citing two anonymous sources, Bloomberg writes that people within the company "have begun questioning the company’s response to the crisis and whether a leadership change is needed."

Despite his making move after move to contain it, the phone hacking scandal surrounding Murdoch shows no signs of letting up. If anything, the scandal has only gotten worse, as it has engulfed Scotland Yard and threatens Murdoch's American holdings. In addition, Murdoch, his son James and his former top British deputy Rebekah Brooks all face what is sure to be a highly uncomfortable session before Parliament on Tuesday, in which their collective claim not to have known about the massive phone-hacking operation at their biggest British newspaper will be put to the test.

Murdoch himself seemed to personify the puzzlingly slow response to the scandal when he claimed that News Corp had only made "minor mistakes" in its handling of things. Since then, the company has hired a top PR agency and quickly set about making far more public displays of contrition. However, it may not be enough to save Murdoch.

One scenario that has been discussed in the press recently is for him to become chairman of News Corp, with COO Chase Carey assuming the mantle of CEO. This would sideline James Murdoch, who many see as too tainted by the hacking scandal to credibly become the new CEO of the company.

Comments

[Liberella]

04:20 PM on 07/27/2011

Murdoch Tweets Pictures of his Genitalia, for Sympathy (Caution: Graphic)
http://thewashingtonfancy.com/2011/07/murdoch-tweets-pictures-of-his-genitalia-for-sympathy/

[franciss1]

04:26 PM on 07/26/2011

What saddens me the most about the story of the two Murdoch whistle blowers' death is that the media ia completely silent. I am an avid follower of CNN, MSNBC, & HLN, but my son had to tell me about those deaths. When I went online and googled "Death of Murdoch whistleblowers, I scanned six pages of twelve headlines each page and only found one major news outlet with the story(The Baltimore Sun.) Congratulations to the Huff for being fearless.

[WeCanDoMore]

12:16 PM on 07/21/2011

Potential whistle blowers deserve federal protection before they come forward.

Surel the tentacles of this run deep in to our legislature. How obvious that one could blackmail elected officials with ugly headline threats.

It would be sooo easy for them to say, ...Do my partisan bidding, or I will make you look very very bad to many many fox news viewers or WSJ readers . . . We can twist things quite convincingly. - Fox is calling this whole thing, that so far engulfs Scotland yard and the highest levels of British Govt., a "hacking scandal" put on by the liberals.

[Ellyn64]

11:19 AM on 07/21/2011

My day is made!!

[FACTISFACT]

09:01 AM on 07/21/2011

It would be wrong to address a criminal like Murdoch as Leader. Because of the mere fact is that a leader would take all the responsibilities of all the wrongs that happened and was happening until the last day, on his shoulder. In addition, he would have faced the lawmakers committee in Downing Street instead of blaming his subordinates to be absolved of the crimes committed under his watch and most likely on his commands. it is necessary to ascertained the crime happen under whose command and was Murdoch in the knowledge of such offenses.

He is a timid coward and a high-ranking hardened criminal, he is no leader, and in any case, if his position is in danger then it should have been long back. His right place should be behind the steel bars for the rest of his life.

[JohnSawyer]

08:37 PM on 07/20/2011

If Rupert knew, he must bid adieu.
If he didn't know, he should go.

[airmikee99]

09:11 PM on 07/20/2011

Exactly. He's either malevolent or ignorant.

[wvmarv]

07:15 PM on 07/20/2011

Rufus you're done News corp is done. I think they will break this company up like they did Standard Oil back in 1911.

[judiNJ]

12:34 PM on 07/21/2011

And where would poor Foxey go then, poor thing, and where would poor Foxey go then!

[NYToad]

05:21 PM on 07/20/2011

"Murdoch himself seemed to personify the puzzlingly slow response to the scandal when he claimed that News Corp had only made "minor mistakes" in its handling of things."

Leadership...what leadership?

[paid troll]

04:02 PM on 07/20/2011

he either knew and is guilty or he's completely incompetent. which is it?

[oldguru]

10:18 PM on 07/20/2011

Well, that defense has worked very well for the Banksters. They are still pulling down millions.

[Kenz300]

12:11 PM on 07/20/2011

Quote --"As Mark Lewis, the lawyer for the family of the murdered girl, Milly Dowler, said after Ms. Brooks resigned, “This is not just about one individual but about the culture of an organization.”
----------------------------------------------------------------

Quote from the link below --

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/business/media/for-news-corporation-troubles-that-money-cant-dispel.html

Where is the DOJ investigation ? ? ? ?

[FACTISFACT]

11:42 AM on 07/20/2011

We observe in normal court of law accused when asked if they plead guilty of the offense they all plead not guilty. So to when Rupert Murdoch was asked if he takes the responsibility of all that had happened as the top person of the organization, his replied in negative.

If Murdoch's reply to the question is NO, then why did he resign from the post of the
Chairman. I would not go into detail about this person because he is a hardened criminal and needs sustained interrogation to find the underlying cause of all his evil doing even in interfering with Governmental decision making.

Hope FBI does not leave him that easily. He may be thinking he would survive the ordeal and then take morbid revenge.
He is a criminal of first grade and should be treated as any other criminal. His denial to be responsible for all that happened is not tenable and to me seemed to mischievous.

[jussaying]

10:39 AM on 07/20/2011

even if they get rid of the Murdoch's, I'm sure someone is waiting in the wings who is just as sleezy and corrupted. It's kind of like North Korea

[JohnSawyer]

08:06 PM on 07/20/2011

Or Scientology.

[SeaMastr]

09:37 AM on 07/20/2011

"Pay NO attention to the man behind the curtain. Nothing to see here, folks!"

[srooge]

05:39 AM on 07/20/2011

we are not the murdoch you are looking for; you can go about your business; move along

[srooge]

05:36 AM on 07/20/2011

i did not do it, the favorite call of the ultra rich