London, Feb 29 (IANS) James Murdoch has stepped down as chairman of News International, the company announced Wednesday.
The 39-year-old son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch relinquished his newspaper position to focus on expanding the company’s international TV business, News Corporation, the Daily Telegraph reported citing a company statement.
During his five-year term, James Murdoch oversaw the closure of the News of the World, the group’s highest selling newspaper.
He also faced criticism for his handling of the hacking scandal and was accused of misleading the British Parliament over his knowledge of phone hacking at the newspaper.
Rupert Murdoch praised his son, saying: “We are all grateful for James’ leadership at News International, where he has made lasting contributions to the group’s strategy in paid digital content and its efforts to improve and enhance governance programmes.”
