A thought about Rupert Murdoch

What can I say about Rupert Murdoch that hasn’t already been said? We all know that he comes from a land down under. You know, where women glow and men plunder.

He was a giant media mogal in Australia before coming to the states to start his News Corp. media here, which in current days includes Fox News, The Post, The Wall Street Journal and more smaller publications then I can list. When he purchased the Courier Life Group a few years back, I was sadly disappointed that some of the great local papers would now be the play thing of Murdoch.

As someone who loves and follows politics, I don’t agree with his right wing views, but that’s not my problem with him. My problem is the information that he sends out in his various media outlets is presented as facts, even when they are not.  Frank Rich said it best:

“An otherwise archetypal media colossus, with apolitical TV shows (American Idol), movies (Avatar), and cable channels (FX) like any other, is controlled by a family (and its tight coterie of made men and women, exemplified by the recently departed Rebekah Brooks) that countenances the intimidation and silencing of politicians, regulators, competitors, journalists, and even ordinary citizens to maximize its profits and power and to punish perceived corporate, political, and personal enemies. And, as we now know conclusively, some of this behavior has broken the law.”

He is dishonest and ruthless, which is why last summer’s scandal was so very, very sweet. Nothing like some good old fashion phone hacking to make this media king lose one of his most successful British papers,  News of the World.

This kind of controversy and scandal is healthy for all journalists. It keeps us in check. Yes, maybe Murdoch was caught because most people in power were just waiting for him to mess up. But it also shows journalists that they can’t break the rules to get information. I mean, who hacks into a 13 year old murder victims voice mail?

It's not Little bunny Foo- Foo

We need to learn from Murdoch. Don’t start using opinions as facts. Don’t write stories because it will be financially beneficial. And most importantly: Don’t break the law.

The first two things are immoral. They send out red flags. If you are doing that, then what else is going on?

When someone writes storied that will help their advertisers and political friends, it is no wonder that they will do whatever it takes to get stories to sell as many papers as they want. In the very famous Supreme Court case, New York Times Co. v. United States, Justice Black said ”The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”

I hope you are listening, Murdoch.