 Coulson |
Coulson was editor of the paper from 2003-07. He left after a reporter and outside investigator were arrested for phone-tapping, although he said he did not know the hacking was taking place, a position he has maintained through this year.
Coulson then became a top communications official for the Conservative Party in the U.K. and joined Cameron’s administration as communications director. He stepped down in January as the hacking scandal gained steam, saying “when the spokesman needs a spokesman, it’s time to move on.”
James Murdoch, who heads News Corp.’s Asia and European operations, said yesterday that the company is shuttering the 168-year-old News of the World.
Bloomberg said today that the episode is threatening to become the biggest crisis of News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch’s career. The fallout from the scandal comes as Murdoch is trying to acquire outright the British cable operator BSkyB in a deal that requires government approval.
At a news conference July 8, Cameron said press and pols had become too close. “The truth is, we’ve all been in this together. Party leaders were so keen to win the support of newspapers that we turned a blind eye to the need to sort this issue.”
The U.K.'s Telegraph noted that the prime minister has not apologized or acknowledged that he made a mistake in hiring Coulson.
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