Murdoch Apologizes in Hack Scandal

CNN reports

London (CNN) -- Rupert Murdoch apologized to the British public with full-page advertisements in seven national newspapers Saturday, a day after two senior executives resigned over a phone hacking scandal that has engulfed his media empire.

"We are sorry," Murdoch says in Saturday's ad, which will also run in newspapers Sunday and Monday.

"The News of the World was in the business of holding others to account. It failed when it came to itself. We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred. We are deeply sorry for the hurt suffered by the individuals affected."

Murdoch's apology comes after his media empire lost two top executives Friday.

Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks resigned from her post as chief executive at News International, the British arm of Murdoch's News Corp., early Friday.

Hours later, her predecessor, Les Hinton resigned.

Murdoch also visited the family of Milly Dowler, a murdered British teenager whose voice mail was allegedly hacked by staff working for the News of the World.

Police in the United Kingdom have identified almost 4,000 potential targets of phone hacking in documents recovered from a private investigator working for the paper.

There were also allegations that News Corp. reporters may have bribed police officers.

Murdoch's campaign of contrition comes 12 days after the scandal first broke and barely a week after the News of the World, Britain's best-selling Sunday tabloid, was shut down by News International in the face of public outrage.

The advertisement expresses regret for not acting more quickly "to sort things out," but Murdoch acknowledges that apologizing is not enough.

"Our business was founded on the idea that a free and open press should be a positive force in society. We need to live up to this," he says.

The media mogul pledged to take "concrete steps" to resolve issues and make amends.

"You will hear more from us," his message concludes.