Why Rupert Murdoch Quit Several Top Positions

Rupert Murdoch has resigned from the boards of several companies that control his newspapers, as the Telegraph reported—but why? News Corp called it “nothing more than a corporate housecleaning exercise," but Howard Kurtz writes this at The Daily Beast: "Don't buy it." Besieged by the phone hacking scandal in Britain, "Murdoch’s position as head of the mega-corporation may be more fragile than previously believed."

Murdoch's world is already upside down. He plans to partition his newspapers into their own revenue stream, possibly to unload "the less lucrative newspaper properties," writes Kurtz. His top lieutenants have been arrested, The News of the World is gone, and his son James "was badly damaged in the scandal." Now this? Murdoch may be trying "to appease his critics, protect his base, or lay the groundwork for an exit strategy. The only certainty here is that Murdoch does not do such things randomly." Click for the full article. (More Rupert Murdoch stories.)