Nearly four years after Rebekah Brooks left Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation as controversy over her role in the phone-hacking scandal erupted, the former chief executive officer of News International is set for a return to the company.
Brooks was acquitted last year on four charges related to illegal activity at the now-defunct News of the World tabloid last year, including conspiracy to intercept voicemails and illegal payments to a public official. But she is believed to be in negotiations about returning to work at the company in a role focused on social media and digital – including working with NewsCorp's recent purchase Storyful, the social media news agency.
Rahul Chopra, Storyful chief executive, and Mark Little, its founder, are expected to remain at the Dublin-based company. Brooks has not yet signed a contract, according to a source with knowledge of the company's plans.
There has been internal speculation at News Corp about Brooks's return almost since the moment of her departure, which intensified after she was spotted at its New York office recently.
Brooks was one of the best-connected people in the country, and one of Murdoch's best-regarded lieutenants, before the scandal broke. He famously told reporters she was his first priority when he flew in to London as the hacking crisis broke at the company.
The scandal eventually led to the break-up of News Corp into News Corp and 21st Century Fox, the imprisonment of former Murdoch employees including Andy Coulson, the former head of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron, and a once-in-a-generation re-examination of the way U.K. media operates.
A News Corp spokeswoman declined to comment.
- By CNBC's Catherine Boyle