Rupert Murdoch Outlines Accountability Plan in Letter to Employees

News Corp. Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch sent the following letter to company employees Tuesday in the wake of his testimony in front of Parliament related to the phone-hacking scandal:

Dear Colleagues:

Today, James and I appeared before a committee of the U.K. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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