Make or break for Murdoch in parliament

JAMES Murdoch is to face his day of reckoning.

The News Corp deputy chief operating officer will appear before a special committee of Britain’s parliament today for a second round of questioning about a phone-hacking scandal at his company’s now-defunct News of the World tabloid.

According to company insiders, Murdoch family confidantes, analysts and industry observers, the committee’s success in pinning the widespread corruption that took place at News Corp’s British unit, News International, on James — or how deftly James deflects responsibility — will ultimately determine if he stays at News Corp as the successor to his father, Rupert.