It appears that Rupert Murdoch is considering the nuclear option - the sale of all of his British newspapers.

The Wall Street Journal, which is of course also a News Corporation title, reports that Murdoch and a tight-knit group of advisers have been weighing a sale of News International's three papers - The Times, Sunday Times and The Sun.

The WSJ, citing "people familiar with the matter", says a total sale is one of "a variety of strategic options on the table" as the company seeks to stem the fallout from the scandal "and map out a future for their businesses."

Noting that Murdoch has long opposed such a move, the Journal story says that News Corp had "informally explored" whether there are any potential buyers.

Given the ailing newspaper business model, there didn't appear to be any buyers. But the company may revisit the idea of selling, or spinning off, News International over the next six months.

"It was basically one of those things where it was talked about for maybe two to five minutes and Rupert would say, 'No way'," the Journal quoted a source as saying.

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Sources: Wall Street Journal/The Australian/AFP