Ex-NOTW reporter says 'Murdoch should take back defunct tabloid's staff for Sun on Sunday'

London, Feb 21 (ANI): Former News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck has said that News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch has a 'moral duty' to employ journalist of the now defunct British tabloid on his upcoming newspaper 'The Sun on Sunday'.

Thurlbeck said the proprietor need 'look no further' than his former colleagues to staff the new publication, and urged Murdoch to avoid launching it "on the cheap" by simply using current Sun staff on a seven-day rota.

"It takes years to discover and then train up a Sunday reporter and every single one of my former colleagues would be a significant asset to the Sun on Sunday," The Telegraph quoted Thurlbeck, as saying.

"I take this opportunity to remind Murdoch that his former CEO Rebekah Brooks promised to find as many News of the World staff as possible new jobs. He now has the opportunity to carry out that company promise and has a moral duty to do so," he added.

Writing in his Huffington Post blog, Thurlbeck also suggested that former investigations editor Mazher Mahmood should be high on Murdoch's "hit list" and would find himself "back on natural territory".

Thurlbeck, now theatre critic at the Surrey Comet, and was linked to the phone hacking scandal in July 2009 after an email was found marked "For Neville", ruled himself out of the running "for dozens of reasons".

"I suspect high on his hit list will be the News of the World's former investigations editor Mazher Mahmood who would be back on natural territory. At this point, it must be said that I exclude myself from this process, for dozens of reasons!" he said. (ANI)