NEW : Murdoch says he would have torn News of the World apart if he knew more in 2007 . He said it was a'mistake' to hire Andy Coulson as editor and that his decision not to fire him had been made for political reasons rather than legal ones. He denies responsibility for the cover-up of phone hacking . Murdoch says the scandal has been `` a serious blot '' on his reputation .
NEW : Murdoch says he would have torn News of the World apart if he knew more in 2007 . The media baron says he closed the tabloid out of `` panic '' He denies responsibility for the cover-up of phone hacking . Murdoch says the scandal has been `` a serious blot '' on his reputation .