But it is the media assets that are the jewels in the Murdoch empire crown, providing cash and increasing influence. We may be entertained by the output of 20th Century Fox and its associated studios but we should stand in awe of the various Fox cable networks spanning the globe from Australia through Asia, the United States and deep into Europe. As Berlusconi was to Italy Rupert is to the Western World.
Did I mention he owns the National Rugby League and Harper Collins the book publisher?
Fifteen years ago, when News Corp shares were languishing around $10 and there were thoughts that the company might be a useful acquisition for another large company that I worked for, I counted that he had spawned more than nine hundred companies - a significant number in the Cayman Islands - so one can imagine the exponential growth in complexity since then. And the company ownership is so structured that the Murdoch family control the company with a remarkably small number of shares.
Despite everything else one can only admire Rupert for the ability to put together such an empire, given his relatively small start in Australia. Whilst he has tried to turn News Corporation into a family dynasty, the company is still his baby and can be regarded as reflecting his own values.
And it is these values which Britain’s Leveson inquiry has demonstrated as being more than questionable, not just for their moral bankruptcy and criminality, but also their subversion of democracy. Media owners and newspaper proprietors may raise their hands in feigned innocence and cries of concern everywhere, but it is a problem that has ramifications for not just Britain but also the United States and Australia. Rupert is just the most egregious and obvious example of media out of control.
The frightening links between Murdoch’s empire and the political establishment exist in all countries where he operates, but has oozed like green slime into the public domain in England as a result of the phone-hacking scandal. But the interdependency between Murdoch and whatever British government wanted to stay in power probably started with Margaret Thatcher when she set aside media ownership laws that enabled dear Rupert to acquire 40% of newspaper readership, plus Sky TV. Perhaps it was at its most egregious with Tony Blair, who became not only god father to Murdoch’s child, but also sent letter of commiserations to Rebekah Brooks after her resignation.
David Cameron, the recently elected conservative Prime Minister, chose Andy Coulson as the Conservative Party’s communications director after he resigned from Murdoch’s now defunct News of the World. The Crown Prosecution Service has charged Coulson on five counts of conspiracy to intercept communications and he has also been charged in Scotland over allegations of lying on oath when he gave evidence in court about phone hacking at the News of the World.
Democracy, prosperity and a good society would seem to succeed where those who are in power are responsible to the public and can be deprived of power through a regular electoral process. This is the only way to counter the omnipresent threat of despotism, oligarchy, idiocy or kleptocracy. And we need to be impartially informed of what is going on through an active media that is not either beholden to a government – or worse – the decider of government policy. To quote ‘The Guardian’, ”The press should not share the same aims as government, the legislature, the executive, religion or commerce. It is, or should be, an outsider. ”
People in power rather resent accountability and will always attempt to influence and mould events in dark corridors and sealed rooms. That the Murdoch Empire tries to shape public opinion is incontrovertible. Look at the ravings of the American Fox network which makes the origins and faux ideology of the Tea Party explicable -- if not understandable. To see the same thing writ only slightly smaller in Australia one only needs to read the opinion columns of ‘The Australian’ to see that bias knows few bounds and needs only to possess vitriol rather than reason.
But let us stop with our boundless admiration of the sterling work of Andrew Bolt beloved of both Murdoch and Gina Rinehart which constitutes the eternal daily double of sponsorship. It is hard to have an informed debate when stupidity , shallowness and vacuity are the media norm, where the lowering of intellectual standards is commensurate with the well spun sound-bite, and the pervasive evil that is News Corporation
Protecting the freedom of the press does not mean protecting News Corporation …..even if they can gives us memorable front pages like this.
