News Corp. names new general counsel

News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch sent out the following announcement to all company employees on Monday:

I am pleased to announce that Gerson Zweifach will be joining News Corporation as Senior Executive Vice President and Group General Counsel on February 1 (press release attached). He is one of the country’s most renowned litigators and a staunch defender of the First Amendment. We are fortunate to have the benefit of his wide-ranging experience at this point in our Company’s evolution.

In his 30 years at Williams & Connolly, Gerson has tried antitrust, securities, libel and complex commercial cases to juries and courts across the U.S. Over the course of his career, he has also earned a reputation as a dynamic leader with exceptional intellect. I am sure he will be a great addition to our senior leadership team.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Janet Nova, who has done an outstanding job as Interim General Counsel over the past six months. I am delighted she will continue to play an important role on our legal team going forward.

Please join me in welcoming Gerson to News Corporation and in recognizing Janet for her superior work over the past several months.

The general counsel position is important to The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires and its other business journalism operations because this is the person who defends the journalists when they are sued by story subjects.