11.06.2009

Murdoch defends Fox feuds


During a business interview via conference call from Sydney, Australia, Rupert Murdoch was asked about Fox News’ “feuds” with both MSNBC and the White House.

The News Corp chairman, 78, in a classic Faustian defense of his flagship enterprise claimed, “We did not start this abuse.”

Murdoch was referring to Keith Olbermann and others at MSNBC and to a White House attempt to ban Fox News from a pool interview. He said MSNBC started the feud, and Fox had to “retaliate.” Of the White House matter, Murdoch said Fox News’ competition came to its defense.

Interestingly, he added this about the White House, “"We haven't really had any continuing problem there at all. We cover them, and they have said publicly that we are absolutely fair in our reporting of the White House. They just don't like one or two of our commentators, which we understand."

You didn’t start this abuse, Mr. Murdoch? It’s OK, in your view, for Fox News to malign President Obama, falsely reporting on every aspect of his campaign and his presidency?

Nevermind that, aside from commentators like Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and a whole host of guests, all of whom repeatedly lie to viewers – a fact backed up by documentation – Fox News’ reporting is often nuanced and driven, right down to biased bottom-of-the-screen headlines.

So what if Keith Olbermann merely reports what your ratings-happy clowns say verbatim and then knocks their own words down with facts?

Could it possibly matter that Fox News won a lawsuit based on its only defense: that it’s OK to lie to its viewers? “In February 2003, a Florida Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with an assertion by FOX News that there is no rule against distorting or falsifying the news in the United States.” (Read about the Florida case HERE.)

As a journalist, I can think of few actions more harmful to this country than falsifying the news to fit a political agenda.
Rupert Murdoch made a deal with the devil in amassing his media empire. At age 78, he might soon meet his dealmaker face to face.

2 comments:

Tiny said...

Maybe he and his cohorts will sit circled around a nice hot fire and figure out where they went wrong in their reporting. Tiny detests getting emails of this nature where you know the speakers are falsifying every word that passes through their teeth.

Frodo, palm tree in hand, said...

Rupert Murdoch reminds Frodo of Jimmy Cagney in the great movie, "Mr. Roberts."

Who did it? Who did it?