Rupert Murdoch has hired a crisis PR team in the UK to handle the phone hacking scandal. But according to the Guardian newspaper in Britain, Murdoch did not choose his son in law, Matthew Freud, who runs Freud Communications. Freud is married to Elizabeth Murdoch, daughter of Rupert and brother of James, and is considered a powerhouse in London public relations.
Not picking Freud is a wee bit odd, but hey, everything about this story is strange. Of course it was Freud who seemed to go against his father in law when he told the New York Times in January 2010: “I am by no means alone within the family or the company in being ashamed and sickened by [Fox News chief] Roger Ailes’s horrendous and sustained disregard of the journalistic standards that News Corporation, its founder and every other global media business aspires to.” So maybe it’s best he stays out of this.
According to the Guardian, Murdoch has engaged Edelman Public Relations. Freud, reached for comment by the Guardian, said: “Neither Matthew Freud or the agency was advising NI on this issue, nor had Freud advised on the closure of the News of the World.” The Guardian says Edelman has been on the case since June 20th. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/14/phone-hacking-rupert-murdoch
