In London, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and his son James are facing tough questions at a government hearing into news media ethics. When they appeared together before parliament last year, the Murdochs did not get an easy ride. One lawmaker accused them of running their media empire like the mafia.

James Murdoch, son of Rupert, has stepped down as chairman of News International. The resignation distances him from the newspaper arm of the business, which is a major part of British media.

James Murdoch has quit as Executive Chairman of News Corp’s British newspaper-publishing arm after allegations of malpractice by the publications.

James Murdoch announced today that he was stepping down from News International, the British newspaper arm of News Corp. He'll instead focus on the international TV business, and that could affect the company here in the U.S.

The heir apparent to Rupert Murdoch has stepped down as chairman to News International, a division of News Corporation. It's a good way to distance himself from News Corp.'s recent phone hacking scandal.