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Dow Jones CEO Resigns, Murdoch Apologizes To Family Of Murder Victim
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 15, 2011
Modified Jul 17, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 15, 2011
Modified Jul 17, 2011
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Les Hinton, the chairman of Dow Jones and one of Rupert Murdoch's most trusted confidants, stepped down today amid the burgeoning hacking scandal at News Corp that has extinguished the British tabloid News of The World, forced News Corp's British subsidiary president (and Murdoch favorite) Rebekah Brooks out of office, and spurred an FBI investigation of the company. As the Guardian reports, Brooks's resignation "removed a human shield" from Hinton, as he held her former position at the time when some of the more appalling activity occurred. The Dow Jones publishes The Wall Street Journal, and the paper has walked a fine line in covering the scandal, with the Times's Bill Keller telling the Daily Beast, "I think the Journal has played it pretty much down the middle."
One of the more salacious acts committed by Murdoch's tabloid The News of the World was hacking into 13-year-old murder victim Milly Dowler's voicemail and deleting messages so that more could pour in, giving the paper another scoop. According to the AP, Dowler's attorney said that Rupert Murdoch himself apologized "many times" to the family, and in doing so was "very humbled, he was very shaken and he was very sincere." Additionally, Murdoch placed an advertisement in the British press which stated, "We regret not acting faster to sort things out…I realize that simply apologizing is not enough. In the coming days…you will hear more from us."
The Working Families Party here in New York released a statement supporting Congressman Peter King's call to investigate News Corp, noting that, "It is no overstatement to assert that Murdoch has used his corporating to pursue an extremist ideological agenda…It's time for the political class in New York to stand up to these bullies." There is one person who's 100% behind Murdoch: Rudy Giuliani, who thinks we "shouldn't be jumping to conclusions" about the mess. Giuliani also told CNN that Murdoch is "a very honorable, honest man...This can't be something that he would have anything to do with."
Tagged
dow jones
fox
les hinton
news corp
news corp scandal
news of the world
rebekah brooks
rupert murdoch
wall street journal
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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