Lewis Whyld, Press Assocation / AP Phot
The fallout from News of the World's phone-hacking scandal has claimed its highest-ranking casualty to date: Rebekah Brooks, chief executive officer of News International. Brooks announced her resignation and apologized for the hacking—though she denied knowing anything about it during her tenure at News of the World. She said she felt a "deep responsibility for the people we have hurt" and wanted to "reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place.” In her statement, Brooks said she wanted to “lead us through the heat of the crisis,” but that her determination to stay had become “a focal point of the debate.” Brooks has been with News International for 22 years. News Corp. said Tom Mockridge, the company's managing director of European television, will replace Brooks as CEO of News International.