Won’t support tabloid wrongdoers: Murdoch

Murdoch warns employees to stay away from breaking law amidst protest by staff members.

News Corp chief executive Rupert Murdoch today warned staff at his scandal-hit British tabloid The Sun that he won’t protect reporters found to have broken the law,but pledged unstinting support to the title he claimed is among his proudest achievements.

The media mogul,who flew yesterday to Britain from the United States to tour The Sun’s London newsroom amid a simmering staff revolt,pledged to restore the newspaper’s status and confirmed plans to soon launch a new Sunday edition to replace the shuttered News of the World.

In an emailed message to staff,Murdoch confirmed he will remain in London “for the next several weeks to give you my unwavering support” amid the crisis caused by Britain’s phone hacking scandal and police investigations into alleged email

hacking and purported bribery of public officials.

Murdoch’s visit follows last week’s arrest of five senior staff at The Sun in raids at their homes in an inquiry into the alleged payment of bribes to police and defence officials for information. A total of 10 current and former staff at The Sun Britain’s biggest selling newspaper have been questioned over the allegations. None has so far been charged.

“We will obey the law. Illegal activities simply cannot and will not be tolerated at any of our publications,” Murdoch said in his email,which was forwarded to The Associated Press. He added that his media empire “cannot protect people

who have paid public officials.”

Murdoch chatted to reporters in The Sun’s newsroom but did not make a formal speech to staff and was accompanied on his tour by his eldest son Lachlan,not his younger son James who is chairman of News International. Officials at the

company insisted James was out of Britain and had other commitments.

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A small group of protesters gathered outside News International’s London offices also home to Murdoch’s broadsheet titles The Times and The Sunday Times raising

placards that read “End the Murdoch Mafia.”

Britain’s media,police and political class have been engulfed in scandal since last summer,when it was disclosed that journalists at Murdoch’s News of the World tabloid had routinely eavesdropped on the private cell phone voice-mail messages of celebrities,sports figures,politicians and crime victims.