James Murdoch’s media adviser reportedly quitting over phone-hacking strategy
One of James Murdoch’s closest media advisers has reportedly resigned from News Corporation.
The Guardian claims that Alice Macandrew has resigned over disagreements on the way the media group dealt with the phone-hacking scandal.
The paper says that she handed in her notice during the crisis in July, but News Corporation has failed in its attempts to make her reconsider.
The Guardian points out that Macandrew was personally appointed by Murdoch as his chief press spokesperson in 2009, and was a key adviser on the company’s media strategy from the moment the first stories about phone hacking were written by The Guardian.
She reported to Matthew Anderson, group director for strategy and corporate affairs.
In July, recalls The Guardian, it emerged that the NoW had hacked into the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, prompting a three-week crisis at the company.
News Corp initially responded by closing the News of the World, but in the week after the company was forced to abandon its £8bn bid for full control of BSkyB (and the News International chief executive, Rebekah Brooks, was forced to resign.
The Guardian adds:“It is understood that Macandrew will leave the company at the end of the year, having served out her notice period.
“Both News Corporation and Macandrew declined to comment.”