The king of the News Corp. empire, Rupert Murdoch, has not been implicated in the phone-hacking scandal in any way. But the events have proven embarrassing, tarnishing the News Corp. name and endangering Murdoch’s plans to have James succeed him as heir to the empire. It has also weakened Murdoch’s once-fearsome reputation in the halls of government – his backing was once seen as a guarantee of a party’s winning the prime minister’s seat, but is now of a more dubious value.

AP
In this image from video, News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch appears at Lord Justice Brian Leveson's inquiry in London, Wednesday, April 25, 2012.