Commentary

Brooks Is Back At News UK

After spending several years in the wilderness following the phone hacking scandal at the now-defunct News of the World, Rebekah Brooks is back on board at News UK, the British division of News Corp., formerly known as News International.

Brooks has been appointed to her old role of CEO, News Corp. announced, replacing Mike Darcey, who has served as CEO for the last three years.

News Corp. also announced the appointment of David Dinsmore, who previously served as editor-in-chief of The Sun tabloid, as COO of News UK.  Dinsmore’s old spot will be filled by Tony Gallagher, previously of the Daily Telegraph group and the Daily Mail.

In her restored position as CEO, which she previously held from 2009-2011, Brooks will have a number of new responsibilities including the acquisition and development of digital properties, as News Corp. seeks to reinvent its UK division for the digital age.

To this end, Brooks will be able to draw on her recent experience working with Storyful, an online video news agency which supplies companies like Facebook and Vice.

Before taking the top spot at News International, Brooks was editor of the News of the World from 2000-2003 and then editor of The Sun from 2003-2009.

News of the World closed in July 2011 after revelations that journalists had hacked the phones of various subjects, including murder victims as well as celebrities, sparking widespread anger and government investigations.

Brooks was cleared of all charges related to phone hacking last year; former News of the World Andy Coulson was convicted on phone-hacking charges and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

News UK may not be out of the woods quite yet. This week, The Guardian reported that the Metropolitan police have handed over their files on the publisher to Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service, which will now consider whether to prosecute the corporation — as opposed to the individuals previously held responsible. Six months ago, the U.S. Department of Justice informed the British government that it would not prosecute News UK in the U.S.

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