News UK has written to MPs and assembly members reassuring them that the mistakes made by News International will not be repeated.
The letter has been sent out as News Corp today splits into two separately traded companies: News Corp (which covers publishing) and 21st Century Fox (film, TV and entertainment).
Chief executive Mike Darcey confirmed the split of News Corporation and change of name, from News International to News UK, in a letter seeking to demonstrate how the company has changed since the phone-hacking scandal erupted two years ago.
He pointed out that the News of the World had been closed and that all the company's newspaper titles are now under new leadership.
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“These changes in the UK also reflect the fundamental changes that have taken place here in response to the problems of our recent past. We have gone out of our way to identify what went wrong, and to ensure that the same mistakes cannot happen again,” he said.
“We apologised to our victims and set up a compensation scheme. We closed the News of the World. We have and continue to co-operate extensively with all the relevant authorities to ensure the investigations are through and conclusive.
“New policies and procedures are in place across the company, our staff have received enhanced training, our main titles are all under new leadership and the executive team has been transformed.
“I wasn’t here when the scandal broke, and our General Counsel, Chief Finance Officer, Chief Information officer and Director of Communications have all assumed their roles since then. We also created a new role for a Chief Compliance Officer.”
He said News UK’s objective now is to “secure a sustainable business model” for The Sun, Times and Sunday Times.
He wrote: “All three titles inform and entertain their readers and seek to hold powerful and vested interests to account. We charge for our journalism because that is the best way to ensure we can continue to invest in a quality product.
"I’m sure you will agree that a vibrant news industry is good for the British economy and vital for a mature democracy like out own.”
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