Media mogul’s judgment day

Mr Murdoch and his son, James, wriggled awkwardly but said little to alter peoples’ perception of News International, or to reveal what went on inside its now-tarnished companies.

Yes, both men expressed their remorse for the appalling acts of intrusion committed by some of their staff, but they have enough wealth and public relations advisors to know that an apology was essentially a pre-condition of their appearance. It didn’t, however, tell us why they stuck with Rebekah Wade for so long when her credibility had been shattered by what happened on her watch. Or who was involved in the “cover-up” at the News of the World and how making redundant 200 journalists at the red-top equates to taking responsibility.

What it did tell us, however, was that Murdoch senior, now 80 and living mainly in the US, is apparently ignorant of much of what goes on among his staff. His answers were vague and unhelpful, despite his pledge to co-operate with police, Parliamentary and judicial inquiries.

James Murdoch said far more, but revealed even less, in terms of hard facts. News Corp’s deputy chief operating officer was either entirely ignorant of what went on at the newspaper, or did know and failed to put a stop to it. Whatever the case, it severely undermines him in the eyes of readers and the group’s institutional investors. Together the two men’s testimonies make it even more unlikely that their bid for full ownership of BSkyB, recently withdrawn, will ever be revived.

Instead it will be remembered as a day of great drama, heightened by the brief attack on Rupert Murdoch, but not a day that enabled any of the official inquiries to make a leap forward. What it confirmed was that many journalists at the newspaper had lost their ethics and many of its executives had lost control. It may also be the day that the corporate backers of News Corp finally lost confidence in the Murdoch family.