The Sun is negotiating exit terms with former editor Kelvin MacKenzie -- the "latest member of Rupert Murdoch’s old guard to be swept out as part of a clean-up of his global media empire," according to David Bond of the FINANCIAL TIMES. According to sources, the Sun’s parent company, News UK, decided to part company with MacKenzie "after he wrote a column comparing Everton’s mixed-race footballer Ross Barkley to a gorilla and making disparaging remarks about the city of Liverpool." A source involved with the talks said, "Kelvin will not be employed by News [UK] for much longer." The "impending break" with MacKenzie "marks a watershed moment" for The Sun and comes as Murdoch’s Fox News is "reeling from a damaging sexual harassment scandal" in the U.S. The decision to part company with MacKenzie, who edited Britain’s "biggest selling and most raucous daily newspaper" from '81-94, is another sign that Murdoch and his "increasingly influential" sons, James and Lachlan, are "attempting to change the culture of the media group" (FT, 5/8).
