News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch dug in his heels in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, which he also happens to own. He maintains that his company only made “minor mistakes” in the way it dealt with the UK News Of The World phone-hacking scandal and that the hit to News Corp’s reputation is “nothing that will not be recovered.” He added: “We have a reputation of great good works in this country.” He decided to testify next week at a hearing by a parliamentary committee investigating the scandal because some of the charges against News Corp “are total lies” and “it’s important to absolutely establish our integrity in the eyes of the public.” Murdoch says he will create a committee run by a “distinguished non-employee” that will “investigate every charge of improper conduct” and develop a “protocol for behavior” for all News Corp reporters.

The company chief says that his son James, who’s deputy COO and oversaw NOTW before closing it, “acted as fast as he could, the moment he could.” The demise of his $14 billion deal to buy BSkyB means Rupert can focus on “buying back shares and looking for better places to put our money.” But he rejects the plea from some Wall Street analysts that he spin off or sell News Corp’s newspapers. That idea is “pure and total rubbish,” he told the paper. “Give it the strongest possible denial you can give.”