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    April 03, 2012

James Murdoch Resigns Amid British Phone Hacking Probe

   VOA News
   A July 10, 2011 photo shows News International Chairman, James Murdoch
   (L), his father Rupert (C), and a minder leaving the Stafford Hotel in
   central London, England
   Photo: Reuters
   A July 10, 2011 photo shows News International Chairman, James Murdoch
   (L), his father Rupert (C), and a minder leaving the Stafford Hotel in
   central London, England

   James Murdoch has resigned as chairman of British satellite pay TV
   group BSkyB, saying he did not want his association with a
   phone-hacking scandal to damage the company.
   In a letter to the BSkyB board, Murdoch said he resigned because of the
   negative publicity surrounding News Corp, a part owner of BSkyB.
   News Corp's British newspaper arm, News International, is under
   investigation in the hacking scandal.

   Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, said his resignation
   will help ensure there is no confusion "with events at a separate
   organization."
   Earlier this year, James Murdoch resigned as chairman of News
   International. He has denied any knowledge of widespread phone hacking
   allegedly carried out by News International's tabloid, "News of the
   World", which is at the center of the scandal that surfaced last year.
   Rupert Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old News of the World tabloid
   after allegations that staff and editors obtained information by
   hacking into mobile phones and email accounts. Murdoch also owns
   British newspapers "The Times", "The Sun" and "The Sunday Times".
   Victims of the phone-hacking include celebrities, politicians and crime
   victims.
   Rupert Murdoch's media empire has agreed to pay large payouts to 37
   phone-hacking victims, including British actor Jude Law, football
   (soccer) player Ashley Cole and former deputy prime minister John
   Prescott.
   About 40 people have been arrested as a result of probes into the
   illegal news gathering and bribery scandal.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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