In an interview, Mr. Murdoch said News Corp. has handled the crisis "extremely well in every way possible," making just "minor mistakes."
News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal.
The six-year saga centers on dubious reporting tactics at the company's News of the World tabloid in the U.K., a controversy that in recent days has prompted the company to both shutter the paper and abandon one of its biggest deals ever – its attempt to take full control of pay-TV company British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC.
Despite a public outcry, Mr. Murdoch said the damage to the company is "nothing that will not be recovered. We have a reputation of great good works in this country." Asked if he was aggravated by the negative headlines in recent days, he said he was "just getting annoyed. I'll get over it. I'm tired."
The 80-year-old Mr. Murdoch called The Wall Street Journal in response to inquiries about the status of his son, News Corp. Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch, who is also non-executive chairman of BSkyB. Some people familiar with the company have raised the idea that James was considering stepping down as chairman of BSkyB, in an attempt to distance the satellite provider further from the scandal.
The tabloid scandal and the failed BSkyB bid have represented a setback for the younger Mr. Murdoch, who played a central role in the proposed purchase and who has acknowledged shortcomings in his and other executives' prior responses to the scandal that undermined the BSkyB deal.
International, and James Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corp., Europe and Asia.
"I think he acted as fast as he could, the moment he could," Mr. Murdoch said. The elder Mr. Murdoch said that he, too, had acted appropriately and quickly, saying, "when I hear something going wrong, I insist on it being put right." He said, however, that he attends to a lot of details in a multi-billion company with thousands of employees.
The BSkyB deal had been designed to boost News Corp.'s exposure to the lucrative and steady pay-TV business, as the company's newspaper holdings come under pressure from declines in readership and ad revenue. Now that the deal has been abandoned, Mr. Murdoch said the company is "buying back shares and looking for better places to put our money."
People close to the company have said the company has considered a separation or sale of its newspaper assets. Mr. Murdoch, who is famously devoted to the newspaper business, called such reports "pure rubbish. Pure and total rubbish....give it the strongest possible denial you can give."
Mr. Murdoch, who agreed on Thursday to appear before a parliamentary committee next week after initially declining, said he decided to do so after being told he would be summoned. He said he wanted to address "some of the things that have been said in Parliament, some of which are total lies. We think it's important to absolutely establish our integrity in the eyes of the public......I felt that it's best just to be as transparent as possible."
Mr. Murdoch singled out former British Prime Minster Gordon Brown, who in recent days claimed his phone and other information had been obtained illicitly by reporters across News International, including not just News of the World but also the Sunday Times.
"He got it entirely wrong," Mr. Murdoch said, adding that "the Browns were always friends of ours" until the company's Sun tabloid withdrew its support for the Labour Party before the last election.
Mr. Murdoch said the new independent committee will be led by a "distinguished non-employee." In addition to looking at charges of impropriety against the company, it will also put together a "protocol for behavior" for new reporters across the company.
By BRUCE ORWALL
taken from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304521304576446261304709284.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLETopStories
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