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Is this the beginning of the end of Rupert Murdoch's media empire?

 
 
Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Thu 7 Jul, 2011 09:21 pm
Quote:
Is this the beginning of the end of Rupert Murdoch's media empire?


I doubt it.
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Thu 7 Jul, 2011 09:29 pm
Quote:
Andy Coulson to be arrested over phone hacking tomorrow

Second former senior News of the World journalist to also be arrested after leaks from NI force police to speed up plans

Andy Coulson has been told by police that he will be arrested on Friday morning over suspicions that he knew about, or had direct involvement in, the hacking of mobile phones during his editorship of the News of the World....<cont>


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/07/andy-coulson-arrest-phone-hacking

Quote:
Phone hacking: two separate inquiries will look at police and press

David Cameron and Ed Miliband will meet next week to agree the terms of the official inquiries, including one led by a judge

David Cameron (PM) will meet Ed Miliband (leader of the Labour opposition) next Wednesday to agree terms of two official inquiries into the phone-hacking scandal, including a judge-led inquiry into the conduct of the original police investigation, and an inquiry into the future of the media and its regulation ...<cont>


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/07/phone-hacking-separate-inquiries-police

0 Replies
 
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Thu 7 Jul, 2011 09:30 pm
@Setanta,
Could you enlarge on that comment a bit, Setanta?
wayne
 
  1  
Reply Thu 7 Jul, 2011 10:54 pm
@msolga,
It may mean some major changes on the playing field, but don't get your hopes up.
I think Rupert's brand of media fills a niche, we may see a restructuring, dissociations, and the like, but I'll bet a new empire will rise from the ashes.

I don't think the customer base is going to disappear any time soon.
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Thu 7 Jul, 2011 11:25 pm
@wayne,
Hello again, Wayne.
Good to talk to you again. Smile

Perhaps I should have titled this thread: Is this the beginning of the end of Rupert Murdoch's media empire as we've known it?

Quote:
I don't think the customer base is going to disappear any time soon.

I agree with you.
There is no underestimating the ignorance of people, nor their unwillingness to not explore the "facts" presented by Fox News, or the News of the World, etc, etc, further.

But, I'm hopeful that the latest revelations from Britain might play some part in curbing Murdoch's outrageous excesses.

I'm quietly hopeful that governments will consider Murdoch's media outlets' histories, before handing him his next media take-over bid on a platter. There are a few positive signs that this could occur.

I'm hoping, perhaps very optimistically, that we can see some return to ethics in journalism.

Of course the Murdoch empire is not going to go away any time soon, but it would be such an excellent thing if its influence could be diminished! Or questioned, at the very least.
hingehead
 
  3  
Reply Thu 7 Jul, 2011 11:35 pm
@msolga,
I've got a twitter buddy in the UK posting a lot of stuff on this - apparently by closing NOTW and handing control over to liquidators it can legally destroy its records - that does sound like a Murdoch masterstroke.

I think Rupert is near the end of his use by date, physically. The empire won't disappear but it will break up. He really hasn't quite gotten to grips with the changing landscape of media in the internet age - though he's done better than many (think AOL Time Warner). I doubt he will be implicated in the phone tapping but some of his lieutenants will be (or already have). Personally the sooner he goes the happier I will be.
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Thu 7 Jul, 2011 11:53 pm
@hingehead,
Quote:
I've got a twitter buddy in the UK posting a lot of stuff on this - apparently by closing NOTW and handing control over to liquidators it can legally destroy its records - that does sound like a Murdoch masterstroke.

It certainly does!
No records = no evidence.

Quote:
I think Rupert is near the end of his use by date, physically. The empire won't disappear but it will break up. He really hasn't quite gotten to grips with the changing landscape of media in the internet age - though he's done better than many (think AOL Time Warner). I doubt he will be implicated in the phone tapping but some of his lieutenants will be (or already have). Personally the sooner he goes the happier I will be.

Well, I think he should be implicated with what his media representatives did.
What is he, Teflon?
These people work for him. He is their employer.
If he didn't approve of what they were saying (like any other employer) he would have told them to stop what they were doing.
Those underlings were simply doing their job. As required by him.
I will be very pissed off if the underlings cop all the blame under the law & he escapes any responsibility.

As if, working for Rupert Murdoch, they had the freedom to say anything they felt like saying!
0 Replies
 
wayne
 
  2  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 12:23 am
@msolga,
Hi Msolga, good to see you also, I just realized it's winter down there.

I too am hopeful for some positive change to come out of this, I have serious doubts though.
At best, it's a lot like what happens when we take out a major drug lord. The market and motives remain unchanged.

Journalism has become a form of entertainment in a lot of ways, competition for this market has ruled the day as of late.
It's possible that this could give the few ethical outlets a chance to get ahead for awhile, but I doubt it will last long.
Americans, at least, love to watch a train wreck, even the best of us love to hate Nancy Grace.

I do think there is a strong voice for ethical reform in journalism, but I just don't think our consumer society has the will power or self discipline required to make a lasting change.
Take a look at the Wal-Mart phenomenon, for example, Americans all hate what it has done to small business, but do they shop there? Of course they do, by the droves.
For whatever reason, people would rather bemoan the state of affairs, blame the government, and go merrily along supporting the very institutions they complain about.
In today's world the consumer speaks louder than ever. I don't know if it's just a lack of concerted effort, ignorance, or maybe the majority actually prefers it be this way. At any rate, it looks like" someone stole the handle and the train it won't stop goin no way to slow down"

This is just my observation, I may be all wet, and I certainly don't know how to fix it, after all, I shop at Wal-Mart too. Smile
Izzie
 
  2  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 04:10 am
Hugh Grant was on Question Time last night. Of course, I like Hugh, and I thought he was quite impressive - tho I'm biased Wink



He got more antzy as QT went on and made some great points, he was no shrinking violet, let's say, even when it was turned back onto him re his not-so-nice news stories in the past - he replied that turning it back on him was cheap and pathetic shot. It was.

The PCC has failed miserably. There is a lot of "rhetoric of culpability" coming out of Camerons' mouth right night re Coulson and blah blah

As always, the Murdoch bigwigs so far get away with the disgusting behaviour of the hackers and the minions are now out of jobs

Cynical - certainly - it appears all to be about BskyB.

I personally despise John Prescott as a politician <gag> but... he shouted long and hard about this years ago.

Coulson has now been arrested and in custody - 10.30am - conspiring to intercept communications etc.

Now we'll see what happens.





Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 04:45 am
@msolga,
Too much money, too much physical presence. Keep in mind, you're asking about the "media empire." About the only thing i can think of which might happen is that it would be broken up into its constituent parts--but the parts themeselves won't go away. However, as long as those constituent parts satisfy the shareholders at the bottom line, outrage is not going to topple his empire.
0 Replies
 
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 06:58 am
@Izzie,
Quote:
Cynical - certainly - it appears all to be about BskyB

Yes, I thought that, too, Iz.
Very timely, the NOTW disclosures.
Still, I can't say that I'd be unhappy if Murdoch fails to acquire even more media enterprises.

From the Guardian's live blog:

Quote:
1.35pm: The BBC's Robert Peston tweets:
Live blog: Twitter

@Peston EXCLUSIVE: Ofcom to signal that a probe into whether News Corp a fit-and-proper owner of BSkyB is highly likely. See my blog soon

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2011/jul/08/news-of-the-world-phone-hacking-scandal

Quote:
As always, the Murdoch bigwigs so far get away with the disgusting behaviour of the hackers and the minions are now out of jobs

Yep.
That's the way things usually go.
The bigwigs knew nothing.
It was the minions who did the nasty deeds. Neutral

0 Replies
 
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 07:05 am
Another very interesting development, just posted on the Guardian's live blog:

Quote:
1.53pm: Hello, this is Haroon, taking over from Adam again. Robert Peston has now blogged on Ofcom's* monitoring of News Corporation and the BSkyB deal. He writes:

It [Ofcom*] is likely to make a statement later today, I am told, which will make it clear that it regards evidence that the News of the World's newsroom was out of control for many years as relevant to a judgement on whether News Corporation would be a fit-and-proper owner of British Sky Broadcasting.

... Ofcom will want to know how it was that the News of the World was able to engage in unacceptable journalistic practices for many years, who in theory had management responsibility for what went on there, and who knew what and when about all of this.

I would expect Ofcom to liaise with the police on securing information that would allow it to make this judgement. That said, I do not expect Ofcom to launch an enquiry into this "fit-and-proper" question immediately. It will want to allow the police to continue their investigation for a while longer, before making its own assessment.

Ofcom's probable intervention will therefore erect a very big obstacle in the way of News Corp's planned bid of almost £10bn for the 61% of BSkyB it doesn't already own - because the board of BSkyB will be not able to judge whether News Corp would be allowed by Ofcom to complete the takeover.


*Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries.
0 Replies
 
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 08:00 am
Further to what Iz said earlier about buck passing & responsibility...

A former editor of NOTW, looking quite harassed by it all, speaks very candidly to ABC News.

What a strange twist. This former editor, Paul McMullan, turns out to be the same one who Hugh Grant bugged in private conversation, then posted the conversation in the New Statesman!

Quote:
Video:Former NOTW executive recounts phone hacking
Source: ABC News
Published: Friday, July 8, 2011 10:48 AEST
Expires: Thursday, October 6, 2011 10:48 AEST

Former News of the World executive Paul McMullan tells ABC News 24 editors were fully aware of the phone hacking going on at the tabloid.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2011/07/08/3265296.htm
ehBeth
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 08:09 am
@wayne,
wayne wrote:
Journalism has become a form of entertainment


it has been so for hundreds of years. not sure why any of us expect anything different now.

$entertainment$
0 Replies
 
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 08:48 am
Quote:

Murdoch's world in crisis
Karen Kissane, London
July 9, 2011/the AGE


http://images.theage.com.au/2011/07/08/2480171/rebekah-brooks-729-420x0.jpg
News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks leaves the office of The News of The World overnight. Photo: Getty

THE crisis engulfing Rupert Murdoch's media empire continued to escalate last night despite his dramatic move to shut down the newspaper at the centre of the phone-hacking scandal.

As police revealed up to 4000 people had been targeted for hacking by the News of the World, Andy Coulson - the paper's former editor and a former aide to British Prime Minister David Cameron - was arrested over the affair.

At a torrid press conference, Mr Cameron announced two inquiries into the scandal and said that News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, who was editor of the newspaper when the hacking took place, should have been removed.

http://images.theage.com.au/2011/07/08/2481744/art-353-andy-coulson-200x0.jpg
Arrested: former the <i>News of the World</i> editor Andy Coulson.

Financial damage from the scandal has spilled over from the Sunday tabloid and analysts say the company's entire British newspaper group is at risk.

Mr Cameron last night defended his decision to hire Mr Coulson as his media adviser. ''I made the decision, my decision alone, to give him a second chance . . . but the second chance didn't work,'' he said. ''People will judge me for that.''

But he said that mistakes had been made by all politicians. They had failed, he said, to stop and ask whether media organisations were behaving properly and politicians should now ''stop, frankly, trying to curry favour with the media''.

http://images.theage.com.au/2011/07/08/2481731/art-353-james-murdoch-200x0.jpg
News Corp Chairman James Murdoch. Photo: AP

Up to 4000 people had been targeted for hacking by the paper's former private investigator, Glenn Mulcaire, police said. They are also investigating documents indicating the paper spent £100,000 in payments to five police officers.

The paper had initially claimed that the breaches were confined to a single rogue reporter but Rupert Murdoch's son James, chairman of News Corp's British arm News International, yesterday issued a humiliating mea culpa and apology over the company's multiple failures.

He announced the closure in a letter in which he said the behaviour of which the paper had been accused ''was inhuman and has no place in our company''.

http://images.theage.com.au/2011/07/08/2481734/art-353-NOTW-rupert-murdoch-200x0.jpg
Rupert Murdoch. Photo: AP

''The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account, but it failed when it came to itself,'' the letter said.

The closure of the paper was greeted by politicians and phone-hack victims as a cynical ploy to protect Mr Murdoch's bid for satellite broadcaster BSkyB. Ownership of BSkyB would make him Britain's dominant media proprietor, but there have been calls to examine whether he is a ''fit and proper person'' to hold the licence.

Labour MP Tom Watson said: ''Rupert Murdoch did not close the News of the World. [It was closed by the] revulsion of families up and down the land. It was going to lose all its readers and it had no advertisers left. They had no choice.''

Most of the paper's advertisers said they were pulling their accounts because they no longer wanted their names associated with the newspaper. ...<cont>


http://www.theage.com.au/world/murdochs-world-in-crisis-20110708-1h75v.html
ehBeth
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 08:51 am
@msolga,
Quote:
Most of the paper's advertisers said they were pulling their accounts because they no longer wanted their names associated with the newspaper.


this would have meaning if they pulled accounts from all Murdoch media
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 08:55 am
@ehBeth,
Yes, agreed.
I wonder if they'll advertise in Murdoch's rumoured new Sunday paper, (assuming it eventuates)?
ehBeth
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 09:09 am
@msolga,
Since it will simply be the Sunday edition of a paper already in existence, it won't be too hard for them to get it going - the radio folks I was listening to last night said it would be 2 - 3 months, so that this particular issue was 'out of the news'.
izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 09:10 am
@msolga,
Paul McMullan has been on every news channel justifying his actions at NOTW. He's now a publican in Dover which is how Hugh Grant got to talk to him.

Murdoch's move is highly cynical, NOTW is a Sunday paper. There has already been a website registration for the Sun on Sunday. The Sun is Murdoch's weekly tabloid. Murdoch is trying to stop the rot affecting Rebekah Brooks nee Wade the UK head of News International. James Murdoch has also been paying off people and has been accused in parliament by a labour MP of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Both Murdochs and Brooks are very close to Cameron, as is Coulson. Cameron has been forced to make a decision on public enquiries that he doesn't want to do. Murdoch wants Sky TV, he already owns about 40% and he wants the rest. Up until a few days ago it looked likely to be nodded through. Now a decision won't be made until at least September, and Ofcom the regulatory body has announced that it will be looking into whether or not he is 'a fit and proper' person to hold a broadcasting licence.

Incidently our politicians make a great play of the fact that Murdoch has joint American and Australian citizenship, and that neither country would allow such an acquistion to go through because it would put too much power in the hands of one man.
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Fri 8 Jul, 2011 09:14 am
@ehBeth,
Back to business as usual then?
That wouldn't surprise me.
My understanding is that the NOTW is currently Britain's only Sunday newspaper (correct me if I'm wrong) so a Sunday edition of the existing paper (the Sun) would simply be a replacement.
0 Replies
 
 

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