Colin Myler, the final editor of the News of the World, is to stand down as editor-in-chief of the New York Daily News and return to London.
Myler, who took up the role in January 2012, left the News of the World when Rupert Murdoch moved to close the tabloid in July 2011 in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.
Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman and chief executive Bill Holiber told staff that the “sole reason” the 63-year-old was leaving was because Myler and his wife “are yearning to be reunited with their family and four grandchildren”.
The internal email to staff reiterated the company’s support for Myler, citing his “keen editorial judgement” and stating that he is “an ethically and morally decent guy”.
In May 2012, a Commons culture select committee report alleged that Myler “misled” the committee about his “knowledge of evidence that other News of the World employees had been involved in phone hacking and other wrongdoing”.
Myler, who was editor of the News of the World from 2007 until its closure, also gave damaging testimony against James Murdoch, then the chief executive of News Corporation’s UK newspaper operation, asserting he knew more about misconduct at the organisation than he let on.
Myler, a former editor of the Sunday Mirror and Daily Mirror, was previously a top editor at Murdoch’s New York Post, the Daily News’s chief rival, before he returned to London to edit the News of the World.
The internal email praised Myler’s work at the Daily News over his almost four-year tenure.
“His contribution and leadership over the last four years is something that most of us would hope to achieve in a lifetime,” said the internal email signed “Mort & Bill”.
“On a personal level, Colin has been a wonderful partner of ours as we have navigated the transition of the [Daily] News through an ever-challenging media landscape. We are now in a better position than ever to advance our business and Colin’s role in that cannot be understated.”
In a comment specifically attributed to Mort Zuckerman, the proprieter said: “He is one of the finest editors I was lucky enough to hire. I will miss his leadership – but always value his friendship.”
Myler’s return to the UK coincides with changes at News UK, with the return of Rebekah Brooks as chief executive, a year after she was cleared of all charges related to the phone-hacking scandal, and four years after she was paid more than £16m when she resigned from News Corp in 2011.
News UK also announced that Tony Gallagher, the deputy editor of the Daily Mail, has been appointed editor-in-chief of the Sun.
