Has Rupert Murdoch lost the plot?
Ever since the controversial shutting down of the News of the World (NOTW), a tabloid owned by Murdoch — chairman and CEO of News Corporation, the world’s largest media conglomerate — the controversy termed ‘Hackgate’ keeps getting messier.
Figuratively: More and more people are being arrested and questioned after it came to light that NOTW was deeply involved in corruption and encouraged its reporters to hack into the voicemails of even murder victims.
And literally: During his appearance before a parliamentary committee on July 20, Murdoch was assaulted by a man who threw a ‘foam pie’ on him, calling Murdoch “a very naughty billionaire” and causing Murdoch’s wife to leap up and try to strike the assaulter.
Murdoch’s son James, heir to the empire, replied to most questions unsatisfactorily, while Murdoch senior rarely spoke. At the end of the hearing, one panel member remarked: “Mr Murdoch, your wife has a very good left hook”. Trying to make light of the situation perhaps, though the hearing demanded anything but.
When another panel member asked: “Rupert Murdoch, the buck stops at you. Have you thought of resigning?”, Murdoch simply said: “No.” When probed further, he added: “Frankly, I’m the best person to clean this mess up.”
Is he? What is the journalist community and the readers for the sake of which such actions are committed to make of what has happened? Firstly, when newspapers are accused of intruding into people’s lives, which the NOTW did on many occasions, is it enough to ask them to pay compensation? Surely, this wouldn’t amount to more than a mild blow to their pocket and reputation. Shouldn’t stricter action be taken? For someone as rich as Murdoch, occasional compensation is a small price to pay for the money he makes for the stories his papers have published thanks to invasion of privacy. Secondly, if Murdoch has acknowledged that he “lost sight” of NOTW, how many other of his organisations has he lost sight of? Why struggle to make an empire even bigger when you know it is already becoming impossible to control? And that too an empire that deals with no ordinary product. It is important that his enterprises around the world be investigated. Allegations have already been made that two of his other UK publications also used illegal means to acquire information and it is hard to believe Murdoch was not complicit.
Murdoch has taken the fourth estate and turned it into an arm of the first. The job of a journalist is to tell the truth, ethically and morally. Murdoch has changed the rules. The media world is indeed trapped in a vicious cycle — is it people’s desire for scandal that leads to such practices, or did such practices lead to people’s desire to know all the gory details? At the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter, if the practices are corrupt they must be done away with.
Pakistan can learn from these developments. And one hopes that when our media is truly free, our journalists will not stoop to such levels. But that’s not to say that our country does not have its fair share of media conglomerates which need to abide by an ethics code.
Journalist Robert Fisk in his article “Why I had to leave The Times” back in 1988 (yes that too is Murdoch-owned), compared Murdoch to Arab rulers — he claimed that Murdoch, without personally interfering, had turned “The Times into a paper shorn of all editorial independence” because, much like Arab leaders, he had people who knew what he wanted — probably the same people Murdoch now says he trusted but who let him down. If Fisk is right, then it is terribly ironic that we live in world where the West will bomb Arab dictatorships into oblivion while people like Murdoch freely operate in their own backyard. Whether they take a similar firm stance against him remains to be seen.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2011.
COMMENTS (20)
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@Bangash: The talk here is not what we do or do not. The writer is trying to highlight the importance of media ethics.
@Saad Durrani Pakistani media doesn't do investigative journalism like British press does, Pakistani "news" is mostly composed of "bayans" of politicians alongwith deaths and robberies in the country. So this Murdoch story has no relevance to a Pakistani newspaper.
@Ahmed:
As much as I wished it wasn't true, it is!!!
I don't know any Pakistani 80 year olds who work 12 hour days. Do you?
Our rich have inflated egos: 90% are rich because of bank fraud, land mafia or tax fraud.
They don't have the intellect to appreciate Rupert Murdoch because their minds are only tuned to easy money..
@Charles Norrie:
Well said, Sir.
Most newspapers use the sensational news style that was created by Rupert Murdoch.
Speaking as I think a liberal-minded human Englishman, I have deplored the activities of Murdoch in this country over the last 4o years, and I can only fell glee and its entirely self-inflicted wounds.
Only 10 days ago the full ownership of BShyB was a foregone shoe-in, until the Guardian revealed that Miller Dowler's voicemail hacked been hacked and messages deleted from it, giving her parents the impression that she might still be alive. They they did not tell them what they had done. This is a press that often believes its journalists help the relatives of the victims of crime and the victims by their attention, when their attention is directed only towards their employers' bottom lines.
Such wickedness is to ordinary mortals beyond belief. NI used technology illegally to make the finding of profitable scoops cheaper. Why bother to interview anyone if you could get their words on a matter at moderate cost while reamaining in the news room. Thay the Murdochs and Brooks did not know of what their employees were up to beggars belief. Somebody had to sign off all those expenses cheques to private investigators and NI was notoriously mean in paying its journalists expenses.
I suggest the Murdochs give up all control of their UK operations the newspapers and BSkyB and put their assets into a trust, to holdings to be independently held and the profits used to finance an independent Press Complaints Commission and the foundation of a journaliststic ethics and training board.
In exchange they will be allowed to flee the country and pursue the rest of their lives in penury, for by the time the US and Australian courts have turned them over, there won't be anything left.
@Saad Durrani Many things "can" happen in Pakistan, like reliable electricity, but never do. The Murdoch story in a Pakistani newspaper is an example of laziness.
@Raza: You have provided an interesting outline of the rise of the Murdoch Empire, taking it from no where to everywhere. However right now the court is pointing out the wrong doings of one of his organization for crossing the ethical boundaries of reporting. Remember it takes years to build a reputation but a second to stain it. Murdoch might slither his way out of the court and people would still continue to watch the news provided by his network, but at the end of the day his image has been stained. Secondly your argument about Pakistani's is totally inconsistent and ignorant.
I bet Sarah Palin's floating a few resumes right about now...
The writer should have mentioned as why they gave a remark to Ruperot wife that "she has got a very good left hook" and what was the incident that occured there, beside that news international doesnot even contribute 1% of his total earnings
Murdoch is a pro-Zionist, anti-muslim, ultra rightwing supporter, his media empire corrupts the minds of the Western world and portrays muslims as evil and as enemies.
@RealityCheck: I agree with your facts. To me his organization was an extreme rightwing group of thugs who were spreading hate against the other less conservative people. Breaking the US and British laws for such a long time is not a petty crime, and these people must be punished according to the laws of the two countries.
Good article,
Can you please write on Journalism ethic of Pakistani Journos'? I can really see drunk journalists doing the talk shows on prime time. People called in shows as EXPERTS have now knowledge of the subject and they only serve the interest of host/media group.
Such biased Journalism supports corrupt politicians and are integral part of this corrupt system
Nice article, but you missed one of the most critical points of this whole situation, and that is what the British politicians were doing to win support from Murdoch. It is a known fact that News Corp. papers combined influenced roughly 8% of the votes. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron particularly enjoyed a very cosy relationship with the Murdochs and for the most part took policy directives from the Australian. "The Independent" disclosed phone hackers targeting the royal's some 2 years back but the politicians were able to provide cover for News Corp as the elections were approaching. BUT independent stayed on the case, and finally the tenacity paid off. Now the News Corp and its boss lays open to the British public so they all can see how one man was influencing their country so much via complacent politicians who only wanted to get into power.
Rupert Murdoch is a genius and a visionary. He was left a small newspaper by his father, at the age of 22.
He turned that into the most poweful successful media corporation in the world - whom Presidents (incl USA), Prime Ministers and Royalty kneel before.
He owns 500 newspapers, and SKY News, Fox News, and Star TV.
How could anyone compare him to dumb, pathetic Arab despots?
He works 12 hour days, at the age of 80.
Does any Pakistani do that?
Rupert Murdoch won't even bother to meet any Pakistani...
if i'm not wrong, News Corp is not the largest media conglomerate in the world.
This issue has no place in a Pakistani newspaper.