Sunday launch for 7-day Sun
NEWS International is launching the Sun on Sunday this weekend – seven months after it closed the News of the World in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.
An internal memo sent to staff yesterday said News Corp owner Rupert Murdoch, who flew into the UK last week, would “be staying in London to oversee the launch”.
The email from Tom Mockridge, News International’s chief executive, was at pains to distance the new offering from News of the World.
It said: “As you know, News Corporation has made clear its determination to sort out what has gone wrong in the past and we are fundamentally changing how we operate as a business.
“The commitment of News Corporation to invest in a new edition is the strongest possible message of support we could wish for.”
The new title has been billed as a Sunday edition of the Sun, rather than a separate Sunday paper and Mockridge called on staff to “pull together” to deliver the new product.
The Sun has been rocked by scandal recently, with nine current and former staff arrested over claims of corrupt payments to public officials. Murdoch quelled staff disquiet by lifting suspensions of those arrested.