Now WSJ publisher,Les Hinton,resigns

The resignations came on a day when Murdoch made a series of public mea culpas. He wrote a letter to be published in all British newspapers over the weekend acknowledging that the company did not address its problems soon enough.

Until Friday,Hinton had been largely an offstage figure in the scandal. But questions grew about what he knew about the improper practices going on at the newspapers under his watch,even though he has testified twice before Parliament saying that he believed the hacking was limited to one rogue journalist and a private investigator employed by News of the World.

Letting Hinton go was an especially fraught decision for Murdoch. The two worked together for 52 years,since Hinton joined Murdoch’s first paper,The News of Adelaide in South Australia,when he was 15. Moreover,Hinton ran The Wall Street Journal,Murdoch’s most cherished newspaper.

In a note to his staff,Hinton said Friday was “a deeply,deeply sad day for me.”

Employees at The Journal had mixed reactions. Alan Murray,a deputy managing editor,tweeted: “Hinton was a great leader,and did much to support the advancement of WSJ in print and digital platforms. He will be missed.”

On Saturday,seven British national newspapers carried the full-page letter by Murdoch,with the headline “We are sorry.” Signed by him,it apologised “for the serious wrongdoing that occurred.”

“We are deeply sorry for the hurt suffered by the individuals affected. We regret not acting faster to sort things out,” it said.

A front-page headline in The Times called it a “Day of atonement.” The company plans to take out more ads outlining its next steps — part of a brand new strategy.