Former editor says she has become a distraction, pledges to clear her record
Rebekah Brooks, the CEO of the British arm of Rupert Murdoch’s embattled media empire, bowed to repeated calls for her resignation Friday. In an internal email to News International staff, Brooks said she was resigning because her presence had become a distraction during the company’s efforts to deal with the ongoing phone hacking scandal. Rupert Murdoch has consistently supported Brooks, who was editor of the now-defunct News of the World tabloid when it allegedly hacked into the cell phone of a murdered 13-year-old girl. When asked last week what his top priority was in dealing with the scandal, Murdoch gestured to Brooks and said “this one.” In a statement Friday, Brooks said she feels “a deep sense of responsibility for the people we have hurt,” and that she will now concentrate on clearing her record as a journalist.