James Murdoch has resigned his post as executive chairman of News International and has relocated to New York to continue with his role as deputy chief operating officer of News Corporation. His resignation only affects News Corporation's UK publishing unit and James Murdoch's role in the media giant's international television business unit remains unchanged.
News International will be led by its CEO, Tom Mockridge, who was appointed in July following reports of voice-mail tapping by journalists working for the now defunct Sunday tabloid, The News of the World. The scandal resulted in the arrests of several of the paper's top editors and the closure of the paper itself. Earlier this month, News International launched a Sunday edition of The Sun to fill the gap left by The News of The World.
In a statement, James' octogenarian father, Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corporation said that James will, "continue to assume a variety of essential corporate leadership mandates, with particular focus on important pay-TV businesses and broader international operations.”
