Forget Glenn Beck: The Problem is Murdoch

Color of Change has done a remarkable thing: it has moved a host of major advertisers on the Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck show to withdraw their advertising from the program.

The catalyst was Beck's diatribes against President Obama -- calling him racist, and claiming that the president has "a deep-seated hatred of white people." Color of Change moved into gear, rallied its 600,000 members, and targeted the show's advertisers. One by one, the advertisers fell off, the latest being Walmart. No small feat.

But I'm not sure how much Beck's bosses really care -- or at least his biggest boss, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corporation, the parent company of Fox Television. I suspect Murdoch may be all too willing to keep Beck on the air as a loss leader, in exchange for Beck's talents as a community organizer. Never mind that Beck's community is racist, paranoid, angry and ready to rumble; in Murdoch's scheme, that's all to the better.

Beck's 912 Project is an unprecedented effort by a media mogul to use the public trust of the cable spectrum to organize people for taking political action against a sitting president. This is not simple opinionating, which is the right of any media outlet; this is a successful attempt to turn out the rabble at town-hall meetings dedicated to the health-care reform bills currently wending through Congress, and to rally the anti-tax crowd for a march on Washington on September 12.

But it doesn't end with Beck.

Reporting for AlterNet, I spent last weekend covering the RightOnline conference staged in Pittsburgh by Americans For Prosperty, the astroturfing group funded by ExxonMobil and Koch Industries (among others) that is also doing its bit to set mobs on health-care town halls.

Of the 15 speakers featured at RightOnline's general session, one-third hailed from Murdoch properties -- either Fox News or the Wall Street Journal. Fox News Channel contributor Michelle Malkin celebrated the fact that members of Congress have become intimidated by the mobs, and fellow Fox contributor Jim Pinkerton gave remarks on how "the online community can work with FoxNews" to defeat health-care reform.  "Keep it up; we'll win," he told the crowd.

Throughout the session, speeches offered outright lies about what is in the health-care legislation, and blew dog whistles to the violent.

If liberals and progressives really mean to win on health care -- and climate change and net neutrality, the coming battles currently bubbling on the right -- we must shine a light on Rupert Murdoch, and his abuse of a public trust for the purpose of derailing democracy.

Click here to read AlterNet's report on the links between Murdoch and Americans for prosperity

 

Adele M. Stan is AlterNet's Washington bureau chief.

Follow Adele Stan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/addiestan

Comments

[pjinaries]

Now if we could only get Beck and Murdock to pay their share of taxes, we could afford Health care for all

[PostModernPatriot]

You are absolutely correct. The Beck boycott must now move on to pressuring these advertisers to pull out of Fox News entirely. Rupert Murdoch has been a cancer on American journalism for many years.

Forget Fox News on cable for a moment.

I still the mourn the loss of NYC's local morning news coverage on channel 5 which is now wholly owned and staffed by Fox automatons. And what he has done with the New York Post makes the tabloid New York Daily News seem absolutely high-brow in comparison.

This man and his empire need to be stopped. Don't the anti-trust laws cover this?

[pjinaries]

They used to until the Bushies got changes made in the law about owning papers and tv in same media area

[Eykis]

Fox sponsors:

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NewsCenter­@bestbuy.c­om,
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[agb100]

This list will go out to conservatives to SUPPORT those sponsors. So fans, what do you think about that?

[75Jolie]

So how many advertisers pulled out when Bush was vilified? Oh you say that was different? Not really. ColorofChange.org is just another thug/union type organization like Acorn/SEUI/etc. If Bush had 1% of the conflicts of interest that the Obama administration has, there would have been witch hunts (well more). So when the co-founder of ColorofChange.org, the new Mr. Green Jobs, funnels money to his old pals, will there be outrage here? Halliburton much?

[pammiethekid]

I used to read the Wall Street Journal because they have some good reporters, often very thorough coverage, and a slant I don't agree with, which I've always thought was good for me to read. But with the increased ugliness on their editorial pages and Rupert Murdoch backing FOX news, I have stopped my subscription and moved on. However, since we know that the Glenn Beck boycott will be ineffective with FOX, I am boycotting FOX period, and will begin removing my business from any company that does business with them.

[griz326]

I think you misunderstand the purpose of the 1st Amendment:

>>>Beck's 912 Project is an unprecedented effort by a media mogul to use the public trust of the cable spectrum to organize people for taking political action against a sitting president.

That's EXACTLY what "the press" is supposed to do: drive the people to action to control the direction of their government. While you may not consider Beck's opinions informed or believe that they are formulated in a racist heart and soul, there are enough citizens who agree with his point of view to show up and give his opinions substance.

As for lawmakers being intimidated by the rowdy town hall gatherings, I see that as an excellent thing. Our representatives are being reminded by citizens that they are "public servants" not our lords and masters; that is long overdue.

[pammiethekid]

Listen, real patriots don't rally others to react with violence against a duly elected American president. Period. For Beck to claim that Obama hates white people is to deliberately incite violence, as evidenced by Beck's followers everywhere. I can't stop him with a gun, but I can work like anything to stop him by organized boycott. It's the American way.

[griz326]

You don't know much about American history, do you.

[blanchedub]

Oh how right you are, Adele Stan! The trouble with America is our media. And the trouble with our media is PRIMARILY avaricious, irresponsible, ruthless and unfetered villains like Rupert Murdoch. This Jabba the Hut of broadcast media HAS indeed been given a free pass by the media and the FCC and continues to swallow up as many TV and radio stations and newspapers as he can... with one vicious agenda in mind – delivering more American minds to the far right – which, let's be honest, is a piece of cake! Stressed-out, over-weight and under educated Americans are lacking so much REAL information that they fall into the trap of the loudest, most infantile, ego-driven members of the "media" – like Glen Beck, Hannity, Bill O'Reill and the King of misinformation, Rush Limbaugh. Murdoch knows this...and loves it! Does he care that they tell lies? No way! It obviously works! Just ask the Bush Administration.
How do we fight this? How do we do away with the anti-American brand of ugly, screaming, nasty, lying rhetoric that parades as "reporting" and "opinion?" Somebody, ANYBODY, please help!! before it's too late and we've got Sarah Palin turning platinum Fox-blonde and joining the O'Reilly panel. Now THAT would be a real Death Panel for media in America.

[jamesaspinwall]

The problem is not Beck, or Murdock. The problem is the large audience that watches these programs and the corporations that advertise to this audience. Same thing as illicit drugs, the problem is not the traffickers or the drugs themselves, but the paying users.
Like drugs, hate is like a drug. Once the user is hooked, he will demand more and stronger doses. Now we have a polarization in the political spectrum.
I don't think there is a simple solution. It's insidious influence will continue to grow. It probably won't stop until one side starts a crisis by killing people. I don't think we are far away from it. Some are already brandishing their weapons at town-hall meetings. It is a matter of time before one fanatic will start shooting.

[ReedYoung]

That analogy is garbage, james. Drug users do not believe they are taking vitamins and a pusher who told them that would be lucky to get across town alive. Drug users know that their hair and teeth are not falling out by coincidence. Fox viewers have been shown over and over to believe things about the world that are just not true. It is not JUST about the hate speech opinions. It is also about lying to encourage people to act on their hate. There is a simple solution, which is prosecution of hate speech and other laws that fox news violates daily.

[A4D2N]

This is amazing dialogue on this site. Folks arguing on how to define hate from people who watch Fox News. I watch Fox and I don't hate anyone. I watch because I see some different perspectives about government spending, taxes, governance, economy, and other subjects. I am not sure why ReedYoung and jamesaspinwall have such a beef with Fox. What do they watch?

[sloppybear16]

I think you make a pretty valid point. No one is forcing people to watch Fox News. Murdock is not the problem, neither is Beck. Ignorant people are the problem. Whether people watch MSNBC, CNN, or Fox, they are getting nothing but garbage. Corporate controlled media is all the same essentially.

They don't like to talk about real issues or they at least skew real issues. But most of the time they talk about complete non-issues. MSNBC thinks all that oppose Obama are racist, and Fox wants you to think that all Obama supporters are evil communists­/socialist­s atheists that want to destroy "American values". Both concepts are ridiculous, yet people buy into this.

Well at least the older crowd does. Younger people know news is best found in alternative news via the internet.

Support HR 1207, Audit the FED

[retromega]

Yes, the problem with this is Murdoch. That is just the next stage. I want to know why this man continues to receive preferential treatment on our airwaves. I want to know who are the flacks he's bought. I want to know why the usual elements of broadcast journalism, e.g. a nodding acknowledgement of facts that other broadcaster must adhere to do not apply to a carpet bagger from the Southern hemisphere. This as we all know go beyond simple issues of free speech. When a license is granted to a company to broadcast on the airwaves that the American people own, it is granted with certain requirements.

Unfortunately, it appears that buying officials comes cheap! You would expect the regulatory agencies who have sold the American people to Mr Murdoch whould have asked for more. They would have received it! Unfortunately they asked too little to really feather their nests.

This fact is a wonderful oppertunity for law enforcement! Have them offer use immunity and/or a reward for truthful testimony. This should clear up the problem in short order. We will know just how quick when ole Rupert runs away. He will claim he doesn't like to stand still but when Ailes and O'really, Beck, Goebbels, adn Darth Vader are on the private plane, well, we'll draw our own conclusions!

[hopeforchangenow]

We have a group of biased, racist people who are worshiping at the feet of the false god rupert murdoch and his disciples hannity, oreilly, greta, beck, malkin and limbaugh. rupert continues to stock pile his money and pay his minions millions to tear apart our country. Is rupert paying any taxes? Is he one of those who make his profits here but take the money out of the country to pay taxes on a lower rate in his own country like toyota and honda?

[kdlaiusa]

Continue to demand advertisers to pull out from Glenn Beck's hate TV show, and better still, pull out of Fox News. I hope the advertisers are not just responding to the heat of the moment.

[ReedYoung]

If the advertisers were acting in conscience they would never have paid rupert murdoch to sell their wares on our air waves. They are certainly "just responding to the heat of the moment" so we must keep up the heat, is all.

[porsche996]

What a dangerous evil fool this guy is....

Any Aussies on here today? Riddle me this....How long would the Australian government and people tolerate an American owner of a media outlet broadcasting in Australia tolerate that broadcaster spewing filth, sedition and treasonous insurrectionist lies over the Australian airwaves without sanctioning and shut him down? How long?

[Steph55]

Thanks for the comment Aussie! You're right, but the listeners of Beck, et al on Fox, as so ignorant they don't even know he's a foreigner.....no one asking for his birth certificate! He's "one of us" mentality isn't about where they're born, it's about their innate chauvinism and wallowing in ignorance.

[porsche996]

He takes millions out of America, but got thrown out of Australia and England.

Why isn't the fact that the owner of Faux news is not vested in the American ideals of truth and honesty and integrity more apparent to his id*ot viewers? Maybe if he was actually a Chinese commu nist they would get the visual association and understand? Oh yeah right, he's a foreigner only out to make money even if it results in civil war in the US he will NOT care....he'll make money on the coverage of the street battles and ki**ings....

[Steph55]

You are so right, people see a "white man" and so it's aok. They see a person of color, no matter who and what they do or say is immediately suspect. It's the American way.

[MarkBrio]

Rupert Murdoch is a vile man. His' only concern is pitting Americans against one another. All for higher ratings and money. Think of it you have a Network using Lies to spread propaganda. That benefits his company and corporations. Keep Americans fighting each other. While the Corporations continue to rob us blind. Tell me why all the politicians who supported deregulating Wall Street are not in Jail. An athlete shoots himself in the leg and gets 2yrs. Regulators let Wall Street embezzle Billions. They might get fired. Then go work for wall Street. Lets keep fighting amongst ourselves while they laugh all the way to the bank.

[TomR]

What really gets me is that Fox News was challenged in court on its dishonesty, but the court found that it's perfectly legal for Fox News to lie to the American people through the public trust of the cable spectrum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZkDikRLQrw

So much for having a well-informed citizenry.

- Tom

[murphysgirl]

Can the FCC fine FOX for advaocating hate speech?