BSkyB confirmed on Friday that James Murdoch will remain president of the British satellite television company, despite the wiretapping scandal involving Murdoch family, who runs News Corp media empire.
“James Murdoch remains president”, officials of BSkyB said in a press release.
Keeping James Murdoch on his position was not a surprise, despite the scandal that led to the closure of the publication News of the World (NOTW). The scandal put James Murdoch in a sensitive position and there were some voices who asked him to give up the chairmanship of the company.
Since Thursday, sources close to Murdoch told the press that James had received “unanimous” support from the board of directors of the company, which met to approve the annual budget.
However, for James Murdoch, who heads both BSkyB and Asia and Europe operations of News Corporation, the problems have not ended. He could be called again to testify for a parliamentary committee in Britain, who questioned him last week.
According to British police, News of the World would have intercepted conversations of about 4,000 people, including families of murdered teenagers. These revelations have raised the entire political class in Britain against Rupert Murdoch.
Closing of newspaper News of the World, with a history of 168 years, which managed to become one of the most popular titles in Britain, did not end the scandal of illegal wiretaps.
The case of interception, dating from the early 2000s, was already marked by the arrest of several journalists, detaining of a correspondent to the Royal House and a private detective, and several resignations, including that of Andy Coulson, director of communication of David Cameron, who was editor at NOTW. In recent weeks, British police operated more arrests, among them being Coulson, and Rebekah Brooks, former director of News International – UK News Corp. division and former editor of NOTW, but most were released on bail.
It’s known that phones of hundreds, even thousands of personalities – the royal family, politicians, movie stars and sports – were intercepted by journalists.
American tycoon Rupert Murdoch, aged 80 years, denied that he would be responsible for the interceptions made by newspaper News of the World, part of his trust, during his hearing at the Commission for Media of the British Parliament.