James Murdoch Under Fire for Testimony

UK also summons Les Hinton to testify

(AP) - James Murdoch will be recalled for a second grilling before Britain's Parliament, a senior lawmaker investigating the phone hacking scandal said today. John Whittingdale told Sky News that his committee was "beginning to reach the end of its deliberations" but wanted to tie up "one or two loose ends" by recalling witnesses. He said he also wanted to quiz Les Hinton, Rupert Murdoch's former right-hand man. More»

Says no evidence 9/11 victims were targeted

(NEWSER) - Rupert Murdoch has concluded his time in the hot seat, with son James by his side. Highlights from today's hearing, a nearly 3-hour-long session in which 10 members of Parliament peppered the duo with questions and a protester chucked a foam pie at Rupert. (Rebekah Brooks is being questioned separately):

• James Murdoch started off by apologizing, and his father jumped in, saying, "This is the most humble day of my life." Still, he denied personal responsibility throughout.
• Rupert reiterated the "humble" point at the end and again apologized for the scandal. "People I trusted have let me down ... behaved disgracefully. I'm the best person to clear this up."
• James Murdoch emphasized that News Corp handed over the information that ultimately led to the reopening of the hacking investigation in January, and asserts that the company acted as "swiftly and transparently as possible."

Board reportedly considering COO Chase Carey as replacement

(NEWSER) - Rupert Murdoch heads to Parliament today for perhaps the most clutch performance of his storied career, as his media empire hangs in the balance. News Corp execs who watched the mogul rehearse quietly expressed concern about his answers, Bloomberg reports, and a disastrous appearance could cement rumblings emanating from the board about replacing him. But succession remains murky: With son James increasingly tainted, rumors yesterday turned to daughter Elisabeth, but insiders are now eyeing COO Chase Carey for the top job, notes Bloomberg. More»

Rupert, James will be in contempt, says one member

(NEWSER) - Rupert Murdoch and son James are refusing the summons to appear before Parliament on Tuesday. According to one member and committee chair, the Murdochs will be in contempt of Parliament if they fail to appear at 2:30pm and testify about their media empire's phone hacking scandal, and their absence would be reported to the House of Commons. News International CEO Rebekah Brooks, who was also summoned, will attend, Bloomberg reports. More»

News Corp mogul continues Leveson testimony

(NEWSER) - Rupert Murdoch apologized today over the News of the World hacking scandal, admitting "I failed." He said he didn't pay enough attention to the tabloid, calling that lack of attention "an omission by me" during his second day of testimony at the Leveson inquiry into media ethics. "I am very sorry about it," he added, particularly to the "innocent people … who lost their jobs" as a result. He also suggested employees at the tabloid had attempted to cover up the extent of the scandal, and blamed subordinates for not telling him what was going on, the New York Times reports. More»