Business Unit News
Management and Standards Committee publishes Terms of Reference
London, 21 July, 2011 - News Corporation's Management and Standards Committee (MSC) has today (Thursday, July 21) published its Terms of Reference (ToR). The MSC is authorised to co-operate fully with all relevant investigations and inquiries in the News of the World phone hacking case, police payments and all other related issues across News International, as well as conducting its own enquiries where appropriate.
The ToR are set out below:
News Corporation
Terms of reference of Management and Standards Committee
(MSC)
News Corporation hereby authorises the MSC to have oversight
of, and take responsibility for, all matters in relation to the
News of the World phone hacking case, police payments
investigation and all other connected issues at News
International (NI).
These include, but are not limited to, the police enquiries,
civil proceedings, Parliamentary proceedings, Lord Justice
Leveson’s public inquiry and the PCC.
The MSC shall ensure full co-operation with all relevant
investigations and is authorised to conduct whatever internal
investigations it thinks fit to enable it to carry out its role
in relation to all NI papers.
The MSC has powers to direct full co-operation from NI personnel
with all external and internal investigations and to preserve,
obtain and disclose appropriate documents.
The MSC will review existing compliance systems and will
recommend, and oversee the implementation of, new policies,
practices and systems designed to create an updated and robust
governance, compliance and legal structure for NI.
The MSC will report directly to Joel Klein, Executive Vice
President and News Corporation board director, who continues to
have executive authority over these matters. Joel Klein shall in
turn report in this role directly to Viet Dinh, an independent
director and Chairman of News Corporation’s Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee. Joel Klein and Viet Dinh shall
keep the News Corporation board of directors advised, as
appropriate.
As already announced, the Chairman of the MSC is Lord Grabiner
QC. The full-time Executive Members of the MSC are William Lewis
and Simon Greenberg. Jeffrey Palker continues in his role as
News Corporation’s General Counsel for Europe and Asia as well
as being an Executive Member of the MSC.
Linklaters has been appointed as legal adviser to the MSC.
The MSC is authorised to retain such other professional advisers
as it thinks fit.
News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) had total
assets as of March 31, 2011 of approximately US$60 billion and
total annual revenues of approximately US$33 billion. News
Corporation is a diversified global media company with
operations in six industry segments: cable network programming;
filmed entertainment; television; direct broadcast satellite
television; publishing; and other. The activities of News
Corporation are conducted principally in the United States,
Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and
Latin America.
Enquiries:
MSC Press Office
media.enquiries@newsint.co.uk
0207 782 8000