The job is messy, but somebody has to do it.
Bloomberg reported yesterday that News Corp. executive Joel Klein is stepping down as head of the internal committee investigating the media company’s hacking scandal and is passing the responsibility onto General Counsel Gerson Zweifach.
Zweifach became News Corp.’s GC and senior executive vice president on Feb. 1 and previously was an antitrust partner at Williams & Connolly. The internal investigating group, known as the Management and Standards Committee, will now report directly to him. Meanwhile, Klein will return to his role as CEO of the company’s education unit.
The Management and Standards Committee has been working closely with London police as they investigate the scandal, which involves hacked voicemail and email messages and bribery at News Corp.’s former News of the World tabloid. According to Bloomberg, the committee’s findings have led to numerous arrests, including at least four people last week who were accused of making or accepting bribes for tabloid stories.
For more InsideCounsel stories about the News Corp. hacking scandal, read:
Prosecutors charge former News Corp. exec in hacking scandal
News of the World hacked more than 1,000 peoples’ phones
Blogger/detective sues News Corp.’s Times newspaper for hacking his email
Phone-hacking victims may sue News Corp. in U.S. courts
News Corp. settles hacking claims with 36 victims
Victims get access to evidence in newspaper’s phone hacking scandal
Shareholders accuse News Corp. of corruption and espionage
New details arise in News Corp. phone-hacking scandal
News Corp. shareholders amend complaint to reflect phone-hacking scandal
