Rupert Murdoch's News International gets new name in Britain

LONDON: News International, the subsidiary of media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, was today renamed 'News UK' as the group sought to rebuild the brand tarnished by the phone-hacking scandal.


A new name and logo are being introduced to convey a more "coherent" identity, said a statement from the firm which publishes the 'Times', 'Sun' and ' Sunday Times' newspapers in Britain.

The company statement said the new branding "follows the fundamental changes of governance and personnel that have taken place to address the problems of the recent past", in reference to the phone-hacking scandal.

"New policies and procedures are in place across the company, its main titles are all under new leadership and the executive team has been transformed," the company added.

The re-branding comes as part of a broader revamp of the company and is being seen as an attempt to distance from the phone-hacking scandal involving the group, which saw the closure of the 'News of the World' Sunday tabloid.

Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and number of journalists are among those facing charges over the scandal, which hit the headlines in 2011.

"This is an exciting time and I feel privileged to be leading News UK as it begins a bright new chapter. With new people and a new strategy, we will take our place within a new company determined to secure a sustainable future for professional journalism around the globe," said Mike Darcey, chief executive of News UK.

"This is the platform from which we will continue to entertain and inform our readers, but also challenge the world around us, using our voice to bring about positive change and hold powerful and vested interests to account," he added.

The company stressed that News International had apologised to its victims and set up a compensation scheme, closed the 'News of the World' and cooperated with all the relevant authorities.

The changes in the UK come ahead of the completion on Friday of a major re-organisation of Murdoch's global News Corp.

Shareholders this month gave the go-ahead to a plan to split the media group into two distinct firms in a bid to insulate its profitable entertainment assets from slumping newspaper revenues.