Rupert Murdoch and his son James apologised to the British parliament on Tuesday over a hacking scandal that has engulfed News Corp , but the veteran media mogul denied he was ultimately responsible for "this fiasco".

Murdoch senior said he had told the truth about the scandal at his now defunct News of the World newspaper but had been misled over the matter, and said he closed the paper because the company was ashamed of what had happened.

"I would just like to say one sentence. This is the most humble day of my life," he said shortly after the hearing before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons began.

Murdoch, 80, added that he had seen no evidence of hacking around victims of the Sept 11 2001 attacks on the United States. - Reuters