back to article Murdoch junior admits to a culture of 'cavalier risk' at NotW

James Murdoch – unlike his father Rupert – told the Leveson inquiry into press ethics this morning that he only read News International's now-defunct Sunday paper, News of the World, "from time to time". Ex-News International chairman Murdoch junior, who appeared to give his testimony at the Royal Courts of Justice in London …

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  1. John G Imrie

    One of Six

    Murdoch pointed out that News International "was one of six companies reporting to me at the time".

    Has any one asked him if he thinks that having 6 companies reporting to him is too many to adequately control?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: One of Six

      Are thirty meals too much for a chef to cook at once? Yet that's what happens in a busy kitchen.

      As much as I agree that he's a lying toss-pot and NoTW staff should be whipped within an inch of their life et cetera, *someone* has to have oversight of multiple companies in a conglomerate. Each will have their own management and chain of command, but ultimately every large multi-facet corporation cannot simply have people running each business independently with nobody 'up top' above them all.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Facepalm

        Following the chain of command?

        "*someone* has to have oversight of multiple companies in a conglomerate. Each will have their own management and chain of command"

        It's well known that Murdoch senior used regularly phone up *his* editors and tell .. er .. discuss with them what articles are to go in that day.

        --

        `No matter where you go, there you are' :)

    2. Cazzo Enorme

      Re: One of Six

      Seeing as by his own admission he doesn't remember anything and didn't issue orders to do anything, the number of companies "reporting" to him is meaningless. Either that, or he's just trying to shunt all the blame for News Corps impropriety onto minions like Myler and Crone.

      As for the Jeremy Hunt stuff - it's to be expected given the backgrounds of most of the Tories in the coalition government. It's nice to have it all out in the open though, that the BSkyB takeover was a done deal until The Grauniad managed to break the hacking stuff wide open.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Holmes

        I never read that email.

        "I didn't go through this whole email chain"

        Is that a valid defence under UK law?

        http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/8934976/Leveson-Inquiry-live.html

  2. Jeebus

    Has anyone questioned why he is still protesting his innocence despite being absolutely guilty and completely implicit to everything from hacking dead girls cellphones to harassing dozens of others?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yes

      I think you mean complicit.

      And his answer is that this is what people were doing behind his back and didn't think to inform the higher-ups about.

      Which doesn't explain why Charlotte Church was told to perform for free at Rupert Murdoch's wedding (seriously wtf, he's a billionaire) if she wanted favourable press coverage.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Isn't this

    the man who said the BBC was chilling journalism back in 2009?

    Sounds like they were doing the right thing.

    1. Cazzo Enorme

      Re: Isn't this

      Yup, it's that man. You have to feel sorry for him though - after all, the only prominent person at the Beeb who is willing shill for him is Robert Peston (note the consistently at odds with the facts and pro-News Corp spin of his reporting).

      1. Nev

        Re: Isn't this

        Peston's not going to say bad things about his best buddie Will Lewis' employer.

  4. disgruntled yank

    damage the reputation?

    Of News of the World?

    Even under English libel law's rather extensive understanding of reputation, I don't see how.

  5. DF118

    Lying prick

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wow, did I ever get it wrong. I thought they did all those things because they were powerful and rich and therefore, felt themselves to be above the law.

  7. phuzz Silver badge
    Holmes

    Basically the two options are:

    A) He knew about widespread wrongdoing and did nothing about it, AKA he's lying.

    or

    B) He didn't know about it, despite replying to emails that made at least some of the wrong-doing clear AKA he's incompetent.

    He's going for the incompetence defence.

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