News Corp. Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch told U.K. lawmakers that he regrets the phone-hacking scandal that rocked the company's News International publishing unit as he should have asked his managers more questions.
"I take my share of responsibility for not uncovering wrongdoing earlier," he said according to a letter published on the Website of the U.K. Parliament's Culture Committee. "I have not misled Parliament. I did not know about, nor did I try to hide wrongdoing."
U.K. lawmakers are preparing a report about Murdoch's role in the scandal and may publish their findings in coming weeks. Murdoch, 39, on Feb. 29 stepped down as executive chairman of News International, almost eight months after the company closed down the 168-year-old News of The World tabloid because journalists had hacked into the phones of celebrities, politicians and a murdered schoolgirl.
The committee began its inquiry in July after Murdoch said lawmakers had been misled about the extent of phone hacking during a previous probe in 2009. It has questioned him twice for the new report, once alongside his father Rupert, the News Corp. (NWSA) chief executive officer. The panel held its final public hearing on Nov. 10.
Murdoch said today it's a "matter of great and real regret to me" that he was not made aware of the extent of the phone hacking earlier.
The lawmakers are behind schedule with their report, as they debate how critical they can be of James Murdoch, two people with knowledge of the panel's discussions said in February. Chairman John Whittingdale said in November he hoped to issue the report before Christmas 2011.
To contact the reporter on this story: Amy Thomson in London at athomson6@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong at kwong11@bloomberg.net
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