Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch's company, News International, has agreed to pay more than $3.2 million to the family of a murdered schoolgirl whose phone was hacked by the now-defunct tabloid newspaper News of the World.
A joint statement released Friday by News International and the Dowler family also said Murdoch will donate $1.6 million to charities chosen by the Dowler family. Murdoch called the behavior exhibited toward the Dowlers by News of the World "abhorrent" and said the donation underscores his regret for his company's role in the scandal.
The Dowlers said the substantial donation was the only way a fitting tribute could be agreed to. They said they hoped that projects undertaken in their daughter's memory will lead to some good coming out of the ordeal.
Murdoch shut down the newspaper in July after allegations that reporters illegally accessed Milly Dowler's voicemail messages while police were searching for her in 2002. She was later found murdered. Increasing evidence that phone-hacking - of hundreds of celebrities, politicians and rival journalists - was routine at the newspaper outraged the British public, prompting Murdoch to personally apologize to the family.
The scandal led to the resignations of London's top two police officers, Paul Stephenson and John Yates, and to the arrests of News of the World editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulsen, who went on to head communications for Prime Minister David Cameron before resigning in January.
Murdoch meets later Friday with shareholders of his worldwide media conglomerate, News Corporation, with some expected to call for his resignation.
News International is a wholy owned subsidiary of News Corporation.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Publishing News Corp. holdings including three national newspapers in the U.K.; almost 150 publications in Australia; the New York Post and Community Newspaper Group in the United States; The Wall Street Journal and related publications in the U.S., Europe and Asia; Dow Jones information services; HarperCollins book publishers. The list includes: Daily Telegraph; Dow Jones; Harper Collins Publishers; Herald Sun; Inside Out; New York Post; News International; NT News; Post-Courier; Sunday Herald Sun; Sunday Mail; Sunday Times; The Advertiser; The Australian; The Courier-Mail; The Daily; The Mercury; The Sunday Mail; The Sunday Telegraph; The Sun; The Sunday Times; The Times; Times Literary Supplement; The Wall Street Journal; The Wall Street Journal Digital Network; Weekly Times; Zondervan. |
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Broadcasting Businesses include the FOX Broadcasting Company; the 27 stations in the Fox Television Stations group and various television operations throughout the world. Cable properties produce and license programming for cable and satellite platforms in the U.S and Asia, including the FOX News Channel and FOX Business Network, FX and STAR. News Corporation wholly owns Italy’s most popular pay-TV company, SKY Italia. The company also has significant holdings in British Sky Broadcasting, Germany’s Sky Deutschland; Asia’s TATA SKY and FOXTEL in Australia and New Zealand. The list includes: FOX Broadcasting Company; FOX Sports; FOX Sports Australia; FOX Television Stations; MyNetworkTV; Big Ten Network; FOX Business Network; FOX Movie Channel; FOX News Channel; FOX College Sports; FOX Sports Enterprises; FOX Deportes; FOX Sports Net; FOX Soccer Channel; Fuel TV; FX; Nat Geo Wild; National Geographic Channel United States; National Geographic Channel Worldwide; Speed; STAR; Stats, Inc.; BSkyB; FOXTEL; Sky Deutschland; SKY Italia. |
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Movie and television production and distribution Move production and distribution through Fox Filmed Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Film. Television production includes 20th Century Fox Television and other TV studios. The list includes: 20th Century Fox; 20th Century Fox Espanol; 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; 20th Century Fox International; 20th Century Fox Television; Fox Searchlight Pictures; Fox Studios Australia; Fox Studios LA; Fox Television Studios; Blue Sky Studios; Shine Group. |
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Other assets "Next generation" media properties including Hulu, an online video joint venture with NBC Universal and Disney; and News Outdoor, an outdoor advertising company. The list includes: American Idol.com; AskMen; careerone.com.au; CARSguide.com.au; Fox.com; FoxSports.com; FoxSports.com.au; hulu.com; IGN Entertainment; Milkround; National Rugby League; NDS; News.com.au; News Digital Media; News Outdoor; Scout; Spring Widgets; truelocal.com.au; WhatIfSport. |
