03-02-2011, 10:38 AM
Rupert Murdoch silent on phone hacking as News Corp profits rise
Quote:Rupert Murdoch silent on phone hacking as News Corp profits rise
News Corp chief refuses to talk about issue at press launch for the Daily, and misses quarterly reports Q&A
Dominic Rushe
The Guardian, Thursday 3 February 2011
Rupert Murdoch arrives at a press conference in New York to unveil News Corp's iPad news service the Daily. Photograph: Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
Rupert Murdoch dodged questions about the widening phone-hacking scandal yesterday. The chairman and chief executive of News Corp, owner of the News of the World, refused to talk about the issue at the press launch of the Daily, his iPad news service, and later missed the Q&A session for News Corp's quarterly reports. Executives said he was still briefing media about the launch of the Daily.
Investigations into allegations of widespread phone hacking at the News of the World are complicating the company's attempts to gain full control of the satellite broadcaster BSkyB, in which it already has a 39.1% stake. It has offered £7.8bn for the remainder, but the hacking scandal has added to tight regulatory scrutiny.
Murdoch usually attends the quarterly briefing for analysts in New York, but this time he left the questions to Chase Carey, News Corp's chief operating officer.
Carey said: "We believe we made a full and fair offer … Our focus is on the regulatory process and we are trying to move forward with that."
News Corp's assets include the Times newspapers, Fox News, movie studios and Myspace. Its fiscal second-quarter profit more than doubled as advertising at its cable TV networks and TV stations bounced back. The company earned $642m (£396m) for the quarter, against $254m in the same period a year earlier.
Carey confirmed Myspace was now up for sale. It lost $156m for the quarter, $31m more than last year. "Now is the right time for News Corp to consider strategic options for the business," he said.
The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.
Carl Jung - Aion (1951). CW 9, Part II: P.14