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 Brooks, who worked her way up from the lowest rung on a newsroom
ladder to become one of the most influential people in Britain, will
resume oversight of the Sun and The Times of London papers on Monday
following a high-profile fall from grace four years ago.
With sales at the brash Sun tabloid in decline and a weak online
presence, Brooks is being brought back to breathe new life into the
group.
She will be joined by Tony Gallagher as Sun Editor in Chief - a
respected journalist and a key figure in the success of MailOnline,
one of the most popular websites in the world.
"I am delighted to return to News UK," said Brooks, who was dubbed
by some as Murdoch's "fifth daughter". "It is a privilege to be back
amongst the most talented journalists and executives in the
business."
Her return was condemned by critics of the company who questioned
Murdoch's judgment in bringing back one of Britain's most vilified
journalists who was once depicted as a witch on the front page of a
news magazine over her role in a phone hacking scandal.
Chris Bryant, an opposition lawmaker who has been an arch opponent
of News Corp's aggressive tactics, said the 84-year-old Murdoch was
"sticking two fingers" up to the British public by reappointing
Brooks.
The 47-year-old quit in 2011 after the News of the World tabloid she
had once edited admitted hacking into thousands of phones to
generate stories, including the phone of a murdered schoolgirl.
The admission sparked an uproar that rocked Murdoch's media empire,
forcing the closure of the 168-year-old tabloid and a televised
questioning in parliament of the Australian-born tycoon and his son
James, both of whom apologized.
The case cost the firm millions of pounds while a year-long public
inquiry also exposed the close ties between senior News Corp
executives including Brooks, the police and leading politicians
including Prime Minister David Cameron.
"TWO FINGERS"
As the scandal engulfed his company and lawmakers who once sought
his blessing lined up to criticize his firm, Murdoch showed his
loyalty to Brooks by tipping her, its chief executive, as his main
concern.
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"This one," he said, when asked for his top priority.
Brooks was found not guilty of conspiring to hack into phones,
bribing public officials for stories and perverting the course of
justice following an eight-month trial which itself became
front-page news.
As part of her defense, Brooks explained that she had had to work
her way up through aggressive, male-dominated newsrooms and often
felt out of her depth as she was quickly promoted.
Back in her old job, she will have to tackle the slide in sales of
the Sun, Britain's biggest-selling newspaper and work with
Gallagher, currently deputy editor at the Daily Mail and a former
Telegraph newspaper editor, to build a stronger digital presence.
Steven Barnett, professor of communications at the University of
Westminster, said Brooks' return would be awkward for politicians
who had previously acknowledged they had become too close to her
when she was at the height of her powers.
"It's another reason for questioning the judgment of Murdoch
himself, because he must surely appreciate the political
embarrassment caused at the time by her and those close to her," he
said.
(Additional reporting by Paul Sandle, editing by Estelle Shirbon,
Larry King, Guy Faulconbridge)
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