Today's arrest of Rebekah Brooks, who was until Friday the chief executive of News International, represents perhaps the greatest failure to date in the Murdoch-controlled group's campaign for rehabilitating itself.
Because ever since News International and its parent company News Corporation were seriously damaged 13 days ago by the allegation that the phone of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler was hacked at the instigation of the News of the World, News International has been on an explicit mission to demonstrate that Mrs Brooks was innocent of all wrongdoing.
Although Mrs Brooks was editor of the News of the World at the time of the alleged hacking, she has denied all knowledge of it. And she has denied she was aware of other alleged instances of phone hacking or of bribes allegedly paid to the police.
So the thrust of News International's message to the world was that Mrs Brooks was as shocked as everyone else by disclosures that appear to show that there was a culture at the News of the World of systematically breaching proprieties in the pursuit of stories.
Lightning rod?
If she was guilty of anything, said her colleagues, it was of not knowing what her subordinates were doing.
That ignorance while in positions of authority at News International was ultimately enough to persuade her to resign from the company on Friday - many days after there had been widespread calls, including a demand from her friend, the prime minister, for her to go.
But News International was still insisting she had done nothing fundamentally wrong. She was leaving only because she had become a lightning rod for criticism of the company which made it harder for any kind of equilibrium to be restored in the business. Or so her friends insisted.
To put it another way, the company's version of what happened at the News of the World and who was to blame has been implicitly challenged in a fundamental way by the decision of the Metropolitan Police to arrest her on suspicion of alleged involvement in phone hacking and corruption.
“Start Quote
We just don't know what's going to happen next”
News International executive
As a company executive said to me, "we just don't know what's going to happen next".
Rupert and Rebekah
Now there are two reasons why News Corporation and News International were so keen to protect Rebekah Brooks.
First is that there is probably no one involved in the business, whose surname isn't Murdoch, who is as close to Rupert Murdoch, News Corp's chairman, as is Rebekah Brooks.
When they are together, he displays a conspicuous affection for her. "Some would say he is almost as close to Rebekah as he is to his children" said one of their colleagues.
And then there is a second reason why her arrest will be a blow both to Rupert Murdoch and to his son, James Murdoch, her immediate boss as head of News Corp's European operations.
Ignorance does not protect
Her ignorance of what happened at the News of the World reinforced their claims that they too had no knowledge of the alleged scale of abuses by the Sunday tabloid, which was closed down only a week ago.
The importance of today's events is that her claimed ignorance did not prevent her being arrested.
The other point about her arrest is that it is something of a shock to the political establishment, since she was on unusually good and friendly terms with three successive prime ministers, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the current tenant of 10 Downing Street, David Cameron.
If, as seems likely, her arrest prevents her from giving public evidence on Tuesday to MPs on the culture, media and sport Commons committee, her many friends in high places may be slightly relieved.
In the current climate of criticism of News International, there will be quite a few powerful people who would be pleased if the brightest possible media light isn't shone on their close and personal relationship with Mrs Brooks.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14180043

Met Police Commissioner Sir Pauk Stephenson
quits over Phone Hacking and Police Bribery Scandal.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned following the phone hacking scandal.
Britain's most senior police officer has faced criticism for hiring former News of the World executive Neil Wallis - who was questioned by police investigating hacking - as an adviser.
Sir Paul said his links to the journalist could hamper investigations.
He said there were lessons to be learned from the affair, but he was leaving with his integrity intact.
He also said he had no knowledge of the extent of the phone hacking.
Home Secretary Theresa May said she was "sorry" he had resigned and thanked him for all the work he had done during his time in office.
Earlier, she said she would address MPs on Monday about her "concerns" over the closeness of the relationship between News International and police.
'Great sadness'
Sir Paul said in a statement: "I have taken this decision as a consequence of the ongoing speculation and accusations relating to the Met's links with News International at a senior level and in particular in relation to Mr Neil Wallis."
He added: "Let me state clearly, I and the people who know me know that my integrity is completely intact.
"I may wish we had done some things differently, but I will not lose sleep over my personal integrity."
In other developments:
- Ex-News International chief executiveRebekah Brooks is arrested by policeinvestigating phone hacking and bribery at the News of the World
- Labour leader Ed Miliband calls for new media ownership rules to limit Rupert Murdoch's "dangerous" and "unhealthy" concentration of power
- An advert placed by News International in national newspapers on Sunday describes how the company is "putting right what's gone wrong"
- Several Sunday newspapers feature promotions in an attempt to woo former readers of the News of the World, which was the UK's best-selling newspaper
- News International says it has set up an independent management and standards committee to see how the company can prevent similar instances happening again
- John Whittingdale, chairman of the Commons media select committee, says former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks will probably be spoken to separately from Rupert and James Murdoch on Tuesday when they appear before MPs, adding that the committee should not act as a "lynch mob"
Sir Paul has also faced questions over his stay with his wife at a luxury health spa which employed Mr Wallis.
The journalist was working as a public relations consultant for Champneys spa when Sir Paul recuperated from surgery there earlier this year.
The Met acknowledged Sir Paul had stayed there for free while he recovered from a fractured leg caused by an operation to remove a pre-cancerous tumour.
Sir Paul said he had informed Buckingham Palace, Ms May and London Mayor Boris Johnson about his decision.
Mr Johnson said he accepted the resignation with "great sadness and reluctance" and he had no reason to doubt his "complete integrity".
"I believe him to be a fine, passionate and committed public servant who has done a huge amount of good for our city," he said.
'Brave decision'
The chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee - Keith Vaz - said he was "genuinely shocked" by the announcement.
"He was very keen that people realised that his integrity was intact, and I think what he basically said was, he was concerned about the leadership of the Met at this time," he said.
"It is a very brave decision, and I'm shocked by it, actually, because I don't think there's anything in the statement in particular that points to any wrongdoing or inappropriateness on the part of the commissioner."
Shadow Culture Secretary Ivan Lewis said Sir Paul had made the right decision and done the "honourable thing".
"He recognises that things have happened on his watch, which mean there will always be questions about his leadership," he said.
Sir Paul hired former News of the World deputy editor Mr Wallis as a PR consultant for the Met.
His media consultancy company - Chamy Media - was used by the force from October 2009 until September last year.
He was paid £24,000 to work as a two-day-a-month PR, until his contract was cancelled four months before the launch of the Operation Weeting investigation into phone hacking began in January this year.
As part of the contract, Mr Wallis advised the Commissioner's Office, and the Directorate of Public Affairs and Specialist Operations, working closely with Assistant Commissioner John Yates, who led an earlier Met inquiry into News of the World phone hacking.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14175552


Ed Miliband (left) and Nick Glegg (rigjht)