The media giant News Corp. has announced James Murdoch, the son of Rupert Murdoch, will step down as executive chair of subsidiary News International. James Murdoch headed News International during the phone-hacking scandal that’s engulfed his family’s media empire. He will continue as deputy CEO of News Corp. but will no longer oversee the company’s newspapers. Instead, Murdoch will move to the United States to oversee News Corp.’s international television holdings. Critics have speculated the younger Murdoch could be making the move to avoid scrutiny over the hacking and possibly even prosecution. British Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said the hacking scandal highlights the need to limit media consolidation.

Ed Miliband: “I certainly think it’s right that James Murdoch has gone, but we’ve
got to ask why this culture of corruption was able to develop at News International. And the reason was that News International thought it was too big to be challenged, including by politicians. That’s why we need new rules in place at the end of all this process, so that one organization can’t control that much of the newspaper and television market.”