Rupert Murdoch wants News International’s ex-chief to run paper’s digital operation

By Mark Watts and Tim Wood | 15 April 2015

Rebekah Brooks is set to return to The Sun following her acquittal last year of all charges related to the “phone-hacking” scandal.

The former chief executive of Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper division in the UK is being lined up to take charge of the paper’s digital operation and its video offering, according to well-placed sources at The Sun.

Brooks is negotiating what would be a spectacular return to the red-top tabloid that she once edited. And Sun insiders believe that the role would pave the way for a more senior job later.

One Sun source said: “There have been some raised eyebrows about the plans for her return. It is a sideways return into the company for her.”

Last month, four journalists from The Sun were cleared of wrongdoing over paying public officials for stories. The jury has been out at the Old Bailey since last Wednesday over similar charges against four other journalists.

Murdoch is understood to be determined to find a role for Brooks, the executive who became a close ally and seemed to be like a daughter to him. He also wants to send a robust signal that the troubled media group is back on track in the wake of prosecutions over phone hacking and paying public officials for information.

Brooks was spotted last Friday at the offices near London Bridge of News UK, publisher of The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times. Insiders say that she met Victoria Newton, editor of The Sun on Sunday, to discuss the future role for Brooks.

One source said that Ally Ross, The Sun’s TV critic was at the meeting, although it is unclear whether the paper’s editor, David Dinsmore, was also there.

Negotiations over her return are yet to be finalised, but the plan is for Brooks to oversee The Sun’s drive to sell subscriptions to its Sun+ “digital” package, which includes the website and apps for football highlights.

As chief executive of News International, the previous name for News UK, Brooks oversaw the introduction of paywalls for the websites of The Times and The Sun.

At the beginning of last month, the Financial Times ran a story that Brooks was to return to News Corporation, the group company for Murdoch’s newspaper and publishing interests across the world, to run Storyful, the “social news agency”.

When News Corporation bought the Dublin-based company in 2013, it announced that its founder and chief executive, Mark Little, was to move to a new role.

However, at the end of last month, Little said that the story that Brooks was to take over as Storyful’s head was wrong, adding that it was keeping the chief executive who replaced him in December, Rahul Chopra, who is also News Corporation’s global head of video.

Little told a trade conference for digital advertising: “We have had conversations with Rebekah Brooks about the wider digital landscape, but she is not taking over control of Storyful.”

The story followed speculation that Murdoch would find her a job in the group’s base in New York.

Asked about Brooks’s return to The Sun, a spokesman for News UK in London referred the question to News Corporation’s head office in New York.

A spokesman for News Corporation in New York did not respond in time for publication, and Brooks did not return a call.

After an eight-month trial, Brooks was cleared last June of conspiring to hack phones, making illegal payments to a public official and attempting to pervert the course of justice. She said that she felt “vindicated”.

Five other journalists from the News of the World pleaded guilty or were convicted of conspiring to hack phones.

Brooks stepped down as News International’s chief executive in 2011 soon after the company shut the News of the World. The paper closed after revelations that a private investigator contracted to it had intercepted the voicemails for the missing schoolgirl, Milly Dowler, who was later found murdered. Brooks was the editor of the News of the World at the time, but denied knowing anything about phone hacking at the paper.

Brooks received a pay-off of £10.8 million.

Exaro revealed in 2013 how Murdoch knew that his journalists were bribing public officials.

Update 5pm: Some hours after this story was published, Jim Kennedy, chief communications officer at News Corporation, e-mailed a statement that said simply: “Discussions with Rebekah Brooks are ongoing, and focussed on a potential new digital business for News Corp, but it is premature to speculate about the details of a position that does not yet exist.”

Update 2 September 2015: Rebekah Brooks is to return as chief executive of News UK, to Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper arm, the company confirmed today. It means that from next Monday she will be in charge of The Sun, Sun on Sunday, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp, said: “Rebekah will lead a great team at News UK into the digital future, while maximising the influence and reach of our newspapers.”

“Her expertise, excellence and leadership will be crucial as we work to extend our relationship with readers and advertisers, and develop our digital platforms to take full advantage of our brilliant journalism.”

Brooks will also take responsibility for acquiring and developing digital assets.

Brooks was known to be discussing a number of possible roles back in the Murdoch fold, but her return has proved to be even more fulsome than previously expected.

News UK also announced the appointment of Tony Gallagher, deputy editor of the Daily Mail and former editor of The Daily Telegraph, as editor-in-chief of The Sun.

“It is my great pleasure and honour to be taking charge at the Sun,” he said. “It’s a job I couldn’t possibly turn down and I’m looking forward to working closely with Rebekah, David and the rest of the team at the Sun. I can’t wait to get started.”

David Dinsmore moves as editor of The Sun to be chief operating officer. Gallagher and Dinsmore are due to move in their new roles “in the coming weeks”.

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