Rupert Murdoch took out adverts in British newspapers today to personally apologise to victims of the News of the World phone hacking scandal.
The media tycoon said he was “deeply sorry” for the tabloid's “serious wrongdoing” and for the hurt suffered by people affected.
The advert was running in today's Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, Sun and Times, News International said.
"We are sorry. The News of the World was in the business of holding others to account. It failed when it came to itself," Mr Murdoch (80) said in the advert.
“We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred. We are deeply sorry for the hurt suffered by the individuals affected. We regret not acting faster to sort things out.
“I realise that simply apologising is not enough. Our business was founded on the idea that a free and open press should be a positive force in society. We need to live up to this.
“In the coming days, as we take further concrete steps to resolve these issues and make amends for the damage they have caused, you will hear more from us. Sincerely, Rupert Murdoch.”
A second advert will appear in newspapers tomorrow and Monday, outlining the steps that News International and parent company News Corporation have taken to investigate and address previous wrongdoing and prevent it from happening again.
This will be published in the Evening Standard, Independent on Sunday, Financial Times, Mail on Sunday, Metro, Observer, Sun, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Times, Times and Wall Street Journal (Europe).
Mr Murdoch yesterday met and apologised to Milly Dowler's family for the hacking of the murdered schoolgirl's phone by the News of the World.
The media mogul gave a “full and sincere apology” to Milly’s parents, Sally and Bob, and her sister Gemma at a meeting in a central London hotel, family lawyer Mark Lewis said.
Police claims that the teenager's voicemails were illegally intercepted by a private investigator working for the News of the World after she went missing in 2002 triggered a string of damaging revelations which led to the closure of the Sunday tabloid.
Flanked by the Dowlers, Mr Lewis described Mr Murdoch’s repeated apologies during the meeting yesterday at the five-star One Aldwych hotel. “It was a private meeting that had been called for by Rupert Murdoch,” he said.
Mr Murdoch lost two of his most trusted executives as the phone hacking scandal claimed the scalps of Dow Jones boss Les Hinton and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks.
Mr Hinton, who was head of News International from 1995 to 2007, stood down as chief executive hours after Ms Brooks bowed to pressure by quitting her role as chief executive of News International.
Ms Brooks was at the helm of the News of the World when Milly Dowler's phone was hacked and messages deleted.
The resignations intensified the storm surrounding News International. Mr Murdoch referred to the developments as part of a “difficult day”.
Best-selling newspaper The Sun, another of the tycoon's titles, was also dragged into the scandal when the actor Jude Law accused it of phone hacking.
He is suing the tabloid, claiming it published four stories about him in 2005 and 2006 that came from hacked intercepted voicemails.
Reuters