Chapter 676

The next day, Rupert Murdoch and his wife and younger son, James Murdoch, went to the Palace of Westminster to undergo a hearing by the British Parliament.

BBC and other media outlets broadcasted the entire process live.

"By the way, Molly, did your people make some money by shorting News Corp previously?" Charles asked on the phone from the balcony of the Knightsbridge villa's second floor.

"Thank you, boss. Yes, we made some money. So far, News Corporation's market value has dropped by over $12 billion," answered Molly Bloom excitedly on the phone.

Charles chuckled, "That's good. Arrange for people to go protest and march at the headquarters of News Corporation's The Times, The Sunday Times, and The Sun. The bigger the commotion, the lower News Corp's stock price will drop!"

"Understood, I'm currently in Italy, so getting to the UK is quick..." Molly Bloom was smart enough to grasp Charles' intention immediately.

After hanging up the phone, Charles smiled.

Now, News of the World had become a disgraceful media outlet known for "fabricating stories" and hacking the phones of murder and terror attack victims and the families of deceased British soldiers.

Following the arrest of former News of the World editor Andy Coulson earlier this year, the current CEO of the parent company News International, Rebekah Brooks, had also been arrested.

Rebekah Brooks had been the editor of News of the World from 2000 to 2003, during the Millie Dowler case.

Returning to the living room, Charles turned on the TV to watch Rupert Murdoch undergoing questioning in the Palace of Westminster by the British Parliament.

"News Corp's got some guts," Alexandra Daddario said while nestled in Charles' arms. "I mean, that's Rupert Murdoch!"

Charles laughed, "Guts? More like they're lawless. This time, we've got to make News Corp bleed some more."

The combination of the British phone-hacking scandal and the shake-up at Fox News could certainly accelerate the disintegration and breakup of News Corp.

In the previous life, a single British phone-hacking scandal had split News Corp in 2013. Now, with double trouble, just a breakup isn't enough; they need to bleed some more!

"Charles, in today's Hollywood, Rupert Murdoch can't compare to you anymore!" Alexandra Daddario kissed Charles on the cheek.

Charles smiled and slid his hand into the woman's low-cut T-shirt, feeling her fullness.

Suddenly, on the TV, a radical protester sprang out in front of Rupert Murdoch, who was sitting at the hearing, and threw foam shaving cream at him.

James Murdoch, sitting beside Rupert, was stunned and shocked for a few seconds before quickly getting up to block the attacker, with security rushing in.

But Rupert Murdoch's wife, Wendy Deng, sitting behind him, jumped up with lightning speed, leaped over two people, and delivered a harsh slap to the attacker.

The whole process was so smooth that even James Murdoch and the nearby security guards didn't react in time!

"Dammit," Charles cursed softly, deeply suspecting this was orchestrated by Rupert Murdoch himself.

An eighty-year-old man gets attacked, and then his wife protects him. This would garner sympathy for the couple and give News Corp a strong public relations boost while drawing positive attention to Wendy Deng.

Alexandra Daddario, sitting in shock with her mouth agape, finally said as the security guards dragged the protester out, "This, this is..."

"Just someone throwing stuff. The U.S. President gets the same treatment all the time," Charles said as he kissed the woman on the lips.

...

On the last day of May, Charles and Alexandra Daddario returned to New York.

On the same day, Les Hinton, the CEO of Dow Jones and editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal under News Corp, resigned.

In an interview with CNBC, he stated, "The damage caused by News of the World to innocent people is unimaginable. No matter if these things happened during my tenure or not, resigning in this situation is the most appropriate choice. I apologize to everyone harmed by News of the World's misconduct."

"Les Hinton, a close ally of Rupert Murdoch," Charles said, smiling while reading the newspaper in his office in the Capet Building in Midtown Manhattan.

Arianna Huffington reminded him, "He was the CEO of News International before."

"Before News Corp acquired Dow Jones, News International was always remotely controlled, and Les Hinton was mostly in New York," Charles chuckled. "The editor during the News of the World scandal was likely Rebekah Brooks. She should bear most of the responsibility."

Arianna Huffington shrugged, "It's unfortunate that Rebekah Brooks has already been released on bail. The charges probably won't stick. The reporters and private detectives from back then have mostly died under mysterious circumstances. They'll just find a few minor players to take the fall. And Rupert Murdoch announced the closure of News of the World."

Charles shook his head, "It doesn't matter. Yesterday on my flight to New York, I saw the rebuilding One World Trade Center nearing completion. The tragic events from ten years ago are still vivid."

Charles sighed, "News Corp's News of the World could tap into the phones of British subway bombing victims. I'm suspicious that News Corp's New York Post or Fox News might have tapped the phones of 9/11 victims."

Arianna Huffington was initially stunned, then widened her eyes, "Charles, you're piling on, and there are already legislators bringing this up!"

Charles smiled, "There are things in News Corp that I want. Now is the perfect time. If someone is already bringing it up, that's even better. Lobby the president and our legislators to support an FBI investigation into whether News Corp tapped the phones of 9/11 victims."

"NBC will fully cooperate," Charles said, looking at Arianna Huffington. "The Huffington Post has a great reputation now. I want to politically suppress News Corp fully this time. Moreover, Rupert Murdoch is facing internal shareholder questions. With all this commotion, the British press has become toxic assets. If nothing unexpected happens, News Corp's breakup isn't far off. Publishing books and newspapers can't compete with entertainment and media, but I don't want News Corp to get off that easily!"

Fox News couldn't be touched, but News Corp still had plenty of other assets.

Arianna Huffington nodded. However, News Corp's market value had already dropped by more than $14 billion. Was this still easy?

*****

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