Rupert Murdoch is “not a fit person” to run an international company because he showed “wilful blindness” to the extent of phone-hacking at the News of the World, a devastating report by MPs has concluded.

by By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter

11:42AM BST 01 May 2012

The News Corporation chairman “turned a blind eye” to what was going on at News International as it sought to “cover up wrongdoing”, the culture, media and sport committee said.

The culture of cover-up “permeated from the top throughout the organisation”, the report says, “and speaks volumes about the lack of effective corporate governance at News Corporation and News International”.

“Rupert Murdoch is not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company,” it adds, and together with his son James should take “ultimate responsibility” for the scandal.

Top executives including Les Hinton, the former chief executive of News International, lied to the committee and News International as a whole showed “blatant contempt” for the select committee by seeking to mislead it.

Witnesses who gave evidence to the committee about phone-hacking could now be “punished”, the report says, by being summoned before Parliament to apologise – something which has not happened for more than 50 years.

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