Rupert assures News Corp staff. The following message from Rupert Murdoch landed in News Limited employees’ inboxes this morning:

Dear Colleagues:

Today, James and I appeared before a committee of the UK Parliament with regard to the issues connected to the News of the World. We did so to apologize, reiterate the Company’s cooperation with the police, and explain what we are doing to resolve these issues. A copy of the news release we issued today is also attached to this note.

I was shocked and appalled by recent allegations concerning the News of the World, and I am deeply sorry for the hurt that was caused. And we have taken responsibility. I have led this company for more than 50 years and have always imbued it with an audacious spirit. But I have never tolerated the kind of behavior that has been described over these past few weeks. It has no place at News Corporation. These serious allegations made about some of our former employees at the News of the World directly contravene our codes of conduct and do not reflect the actions and beliefs of our many employees.

We are a company of more than 50,000 dedicated men and women who every day bring a deep passion and commitment to their jobs. Our vibrant businesses lead their sectors and our future is strong. We are a great company that has set the pace and created much loved journalism, television and film for six decades and we will continue to do so for years to come.

In regard to the issues at News International, we are taking urgent steps to address the past and ensure that serious problems never happen again.

  • The Company has created an independent Management & Standards Committee, to determine new standards that will be clearly communicated and consistently enforced. The Committee is independently chaired by Lord Grabiner QC and has direct governance and oversight from News Corporation Board members, Joel Klein and Viet Dinh.
  • The Company will continue to co-operate fully with the authorities wherever the investigations lead. Those who have betrayed our trust must be held accountable under the law. We also welcome and will cooperate with Parliamentary and Judicial inquiries.
  • Last week we made the difficult, but necessary decision to close the 168-year-old News of the World and we accepted the resignations of Rebekah Brooks and Les Hinton.
  • These actions are all strong signals of the seriousness with which we are addressing allegations of past wrongdoing at the News of the World.

I want all of you to know that I have the utmost confidence that we will emerge a stronger company. It will take time for us to rebuild trust and confidence, but we are determined to live up to the expectations of our stockholders, customers, colleagues and partners.

We are determined to put things right.

Sincerely,

Rupert Murdoch

Front pages of the day. Not even The Guardian could resist the pie reference, as Britain’s newspapers lapped up the Murdoch testimony …

WSJ journos: we’re fair and balanced on Murdoch

“While some Journal staffers admit that they haven’t been blown away by their paper’s coverage of News Corp., especially given that the New York Times published deeply-reported, investigative pieces on Sunday and Monday, several staffers took issue with criticism that suggests fear of incurring Murdoch’s wrath has prevented editors and reporters from doing their jobs.” — The Huffington Post

US A-G will meet 9/11 victims concerned on phone hacking

“Attorney General Eric Holder is willing to meet the families of people killed in the September 11 attacks who are concerned about reports that News Corp journalists may have tried to get victims’ phone records, his spokesman said on Tuesday.” — Reuters

Guardian editor: how we broke the NotW scandal

“Every so often — perhaps once every 18 months — the veteran Guardian writer Nick Davies comes into my office, shuts the door with a conspiratorial backward glance, and proceeds to tell me something hair-raising.” — Newsweek

Red-top rivals grab for NotW readers

“More than 2 million former News of the World readers bought red-top rivals last Sunday, with the Mirror and the Star becoming the main beneficiaries, according to unconfirmed industry figures.” — The Guardian

Cornes wanted more from Molloy TV slur

“Former Labor candidate Nicole Cornes sought a $120,000 settlement with comedian Mick Molloy and the Ten Network. But she received a counter offer of only $20,000.” — The Australian