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15 July 2011
Last updated at 13:25 ET
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Rupert Murdoch said he apologised to the Dowler family
A "humbled and very shaken" Rupert Murdoch has apologised to the family of Milly Dowler in a meeting in London.
The chairman of News Corporation requested the meeting after it emerged that the murdered schoogirl's mobile phone was hacked by the News of the World newspaper in 2002.
Mr Murdoch said during the meeting that the paper's actions were not the "standard set by his father".
Earlier Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International, resigned.
In a statement following the meeting, the Dowlers' solicitor Mark Lewis said: "We told him that his papers should lead the way in setting the standard of honesty and decency in the field and not what had gone on before. At the end of the day actions speak louder than words.
'Deep responsibility'
"He was humbled, shaken and sincere. This was something that had hit him on a personal level. He apologised many times and held his head in his hands."
Mr Murdoch will apologise for the paper's "serious wrongdoing", in national newspaper adverts on Saturday.
The meeting came on the day that Rebekah Brooks resigned amid mounting pressure over the phone hacking allegations.
Ms Brooks was the paper's editor between 2000 and 2003, during which time Milly Dowler's phone was tampered with.
Prime Minister David Cameron said her resignation was "the right decision", his official spokesman said.
In a statement, she said she felt a "deep responsibility for the people we have hurt".
She said she wanted to "reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place".
Her statement went on: "I have believed that the right and responsible action has been to lead us through the heat of the crisis. However my desire to remain on the bridge has made me a focal point of the debate.
"This is now detracting attention from all our honest endeavours to fix the problems of the past."
Ms Brooks, 43, who had been with News International for 22 years, bowed to the international pressure piling up on the company.
She has been replaced by Tom Mockridge, who was in charge of News Corporation's Italian broadcasting arm.
In a message to News International staff, News Corporation's chief executive in Europe, James Murdoch, revealed that News Corporation was planning to use national press adverts this weekend to apologise to the nation for wrongdoing at the News of the World.
Select committee
"We are also sending letters to our commercial partners with an update on the actions we are taking.
"The company has made mistakes. It is not only receiving appropriate scrutiny, but is also responding to unfair attacks by setting the record straight."
James Murdoch also praised new chief executive Tom Mockridge as "a highly respected and accomplished media executive", who had shown "leadership and integrity" in creating the Sky Italia 24-hour TV news channel in Italy.
Ms Brooks is still expected to appear alongside Rupert and James Murdoch in front of the Commons media select committee next Tuesday to answer MPs questions on the hacking scandal.
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.Rupert Murdoch said he apologised to the Dowler family
A "humbled and very shaken" Rupert Murdoch has apologised to the family of Milly Dowler in a meeting in London.
The chairman of News Corporation requested the meeting after it emerged that the murdered schoogirl's mobile phone was hacked by the News of the World newspaper in 2002.
Mr Murdoch said during the meeting that the paper's actions were not the "standard set by his father".
Earlier Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International, resigned.
In a statement following the meeting, the Dowlers' solicitor Mark Lewis said: "We told him that his papers should lead the way in setting the standard of honesty and decency in the field and not what had gone on before. At the end of the day actions speak louder than words.
'Deep responsibility'
"He was humbled, shaken and sincere. This was something that had hit him on a personal level. He apologised many times and held his head in his hands."
Mr Murdoch will apologise for the paper's "serious wrongdoing", in national newspaper adverts on Saturday.
The meeting came on the day that Rebekah Brooks resigned amid mounting pressure over the phone hacking allegations.
Ms Brooks was the paper's editor between 2000 and 2003, during which time Milly Dowler's phone was tampered with.
Prime Minister David Cameron said her resignation was "the right decision", his official spokesman said.
In a statement, she said she felt a "deep responsibility for the people we have hurt".
She said she wanted to "reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place".
Her statement went on: "I have believed that the right and responsible action has been to lead us through the heat of the crisis. However my desire to remain on the bridge has made me a focal point of the debate.
"This is now detracting attention from all our honest endeavours to fix the problems of the past."
Ms Brooks, 43, who had been with News International for 22 years, bowed to the international pressure piling up on the company.
She has been replaced by Tom Mockridge, who was in charge of News Corporation's Italian broadcasting arm.
In a message to News International staff, News Corporation's chief executive in Europe, James Murdoch, revealed that News Corporation was planning to use national press adverts this weekend to apologise to the nation for wrongdoing at the News of the World.
Select committee
"We are also sending letters to our commercial partners with an update on the actions we are taking.
"The company has made mistakes. It is not only receiving appropriate scrutiny, but is also responding to unfair attacks by setting the record straight."
James Murdoch also praised new chief executive Tom Mockridge as "a highly respected and accomplished media executive", who had shown "leadership and integrity" in creating the Sky Italia 24-hour TV news channel in Italy.
Ms Brooks is still expected to appear alongside Rupert and James Murdoch in front of the Commons media select committee next Tuesday to answer MPs questions on the hacking scandal.
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