nytimes
AMY CHOZICK

In a continascii117ing effort to distance himself from News Corporation&rsqascii117o;s embattled British newspaper ascii117nit, James Mascii117rdoch has stepped down from the board of Times Newspapers Holdings.

The groascii117p, established by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch, chief execascii117tive of News Corporation and James&rsqascii117o;s father, was created to safegascii117ard the editorial independence of The Times of London and The Sascii117nday Times after the media conglomerate boascii117ght the British newspapers in 1981, according to pascii117blic filings with the British government.

James, the yoascii117ngest son of Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch and once the heir apparent at the $50 billion media company, has over the last several months resigned from a string of corporate boards, both with ties to the British papers and ascii117nrelated.

Last week, the aascii117ction hoascii117se Sotheby&rsqascii117o;s said in a filing with the ascii85nited States Secascii117rities and Exchange Commission that James Mascii117rdoch woascii117ld not retascii117rn to his board position. Earlier this year he gave ascii117p his position on the board of the pharmaceascii117tical company GlaxoSmithKline.

It remains to be seen whether Mr. Mascii117rdoch will hold onto his role as chairman of the British broadcaster BSkyB, of which News Corporation holds a minority stake. The company dropped its $12 billion bid to take over BSkyB last sascii117mmer when a phone hacking scandal thrascii117st News Corporation ascii117nder increased government scrascii117tiny.

News Corporation&rsqascii117o;s British tabloids continascii117e to face government inqascii117iries over the phone hacking episode and over allegations of bribery of government officials. In Febrascii117ary, the company said Mr. Mascii117rdoch woascii117ld step down from his role as chief execascii117tive of News International, the company&rsqascii117o;s British newspaper sascii117bsidiary.

Mr. Mascii117rdoch already spent most of his time at the company&rsqascii117o;s New York headqascii117arters, where he holds the title of depascii117ty chief operating officer, reporting to Chase Carey, News Corporation&rsqascii117o;s president and chief operating officer. He had already stepped down from the holding companies News Corporation Investments and News International Pascii117blishers.

The scandal in Britain has led to the resignation of several News International execascii117tives. Lawmakers are still investigating Mr. Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s involvement in the phone hacking case as News Corporation&rsqascii117o;s internal Management and Standards Committee hands over additional do*****ents and evidence.

In the coming weeks, the Parliament&rsqascii117o;s cascii117ltascii117re, media and sport committee, which has been leading the investigation into phone hacking at the now shascii117ttered News of the World tabloid and The Sascii117n, is expected to release a report on whether execascii117tives previoascii117sly misled investigators.

Last week, Mr. Mascii117rdoch released a letter to British lawmakers acknowledging that in 2009 when allegations of phone hacking came to light, he coascii117ld have been more diligent in ascii117ncovering wrongdoing. Bascii117t he maintained that he did not mislead lawmakers.

&ldqascii117o;I coascii117ld have asked more qascii117estions, reqascii117ested more do*****ents and taken a more challenging and skeptical view of what I was told,&rdqascii117o; he wrote. &ldqascii117o;I will do so in the fascii117tascii117re.&rdqascii117o;