James Murdoch's woes may be many and varied, but one thing is certain: they aren't going to disappear anytime soon.

The New York State Controller Thomas DiNapoli has decided that a $27 million State Education Department deal with Wireless Generation, an affiliate of News Corp., will not go through. The company was to be employed to produce software designed to monitor student performance in tests. However, due to lobbying from teachers' unions and the multitude of unanswered questions about the Murdoch media empire's ethical standards, the controller has decided not to award the contract to the firm.

Hardly surprising, seeing as Murdoch father and son will both be facing a judicial inquiry in the British High Court. Lord Justice Leveson, who has been at the centre of many high profile cases in the past, will hear the pair give evidence under oath. As Christopher Hope of The Telegraph writes: "the prospect of courtroom evidence will increase the impression that the Leveson inquiry is an unofficial 'trial' of key players in the phone hacking scandal."

Meanwhile, investors at British Sky Broadband may feel that this negative media attention means James Murdoch is failing in his corporate duties as Chairman. According to The Independent, the BSkyB "Memorandum on Corporate Governance" states the Chairman has a responsibility "to enhance the company's public standing and image overall".

It would be difficult to argue that the Murdochs' public image is favourable in the present situation.

Sources: The Independent (1) , (2), New York Daily News ,The Telegraph ,