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Corporate Connections/Business Interests Education |
Highlights & Quotes Rupert Murdoch, head of the world's largest media empire, has used his media power to support right-wing policies across the globe. During the lead up to the war in Iraq, the editors of Murdoch's some 175 media holdings vociferously supported President Bush's and Prime Minister Tony Blair's pro-war campaign, leading one British reporter to write, "You have got to admit that Rupert Murdoch is one canny press tycoon because he has an unerring ability to choose editors across the world who think just like him. How else can we explain the extraordinary unity of thought in his newspaper empire about the need to make war on Iraq? After an exhaustive survey of the highest-selling and most influential papers across the world owned by Murdoch's News Corporation, it is clear that all are singing from the same hymn sheet. Some are bellicose baritone soloists who relish the fight. Some prefer a less strident, if more subtle, role in the chorus. But none, whether fortissimo or pianissimo, has dared to croon the anti-war tune. Their master's voice has never been questioned." (5) His Fox News was singled out for criticism because of its blatantly one-sided coverage of the war in Iraq and for printing unsubstantiated stories about the conflict. When CNN reporter Christian Amanpour blamed Fox for creating "a climate of fear and self-censorship" regarding coverage of Iraq, a Fox spokeswoman shot back, "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda." (7) Said Murdoch of the war, "The greatest thing to come out of this for the world economy, if you could put it that way, would be $20 a barrel for oil. That's bigger than any tax cut in any country." (4) Aside from Fox, Murdoch's News Corp owns TV Guide, HarperCollins, 20th Century Fox, the London Times, and the New York Post. Murdoch also bankrolls William Kristol's neocon mouthpiece the Weekly Standard, which has been losing money ever since it started up in the mid-1990s. Writes Al Franken of Murdoch: "There's one important thing you should know about Murdoch. He's evil. I defer to the . . . Columbia Journalism Review: 'Murdoch uses his diverse holdings . . . to promote his own financial interests at the expense of real news gathering, legal and regulatory rules, and journalistic ethics. He wields his media as instruments of influence with politicians who can aid him, and savages his competitors in his news columns. If ever someone demonstrated the dangers of mass power being concentrated in few hands, it would be Murdoch.'" (6) |
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Sources
(1) News Corporation
Executives (2) William
Shawcross. "Rupert Murdock." Time Magazine, October 25,
1999 (3) Nationmaster.com:
Encyclopedia: Rupert Murdoch (4) "Murdoch
Backs 'Courageous' Blair Over Iraq," The Guardian, February
11, 2003 (5) "Their
Master's Voice," The Guardian, February 17, 2003 (6) Al Franken,
Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them) (New York: Dutton, 2003) (7) "Amanpour:
CNN Practiced Self-Censorship," USA Today, September 14, 2003 |
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Copyright
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