If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
What was exposed in Parliament during the Murdochs' testimony this week wasn't necessarily News Corp., but instead the cozy, closed ties between institutional journalism and institutional government.
An exhibition about maverick artists in London draws uncanny parallels to the fallout from the British phone hacking scandal.
We've all heard about the News of the World phone hacking scandal by now, but few in the U.S. public are aware that the entire scandal lies on the bare chest (as in wire tap) of a film actor named Hugh Grant.
Anyone with half a brain knew all about Rupert Murdoch from the time he invaded all of journalism. It was inevitable because Murdoch has repeatedly demonstrated an absence of ethics, decency and integrity.
Rupert Murdoch is a fierce competitor, but he has many powerful enemies who have now been galvanized into action. In the end, Murdoch may have gotten it right when he said, "Saying we're sorry is not enough."
Sure, pols cravenly kowtowed to the tabloid press, particularly the Murdoch papers. But what gave those papers such power? Well, vast numbers of Brits went out every day and picked up copies of The Sun or the Daily Mail or the Telegraph.
As the phone hacking scandal grows around Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, disclosure records show that the company spent over $1.5 million on federal lobbying in the first three months of this year -- including lobbying on issues of digital privacy.
The prospect of Murdoch's downfall, which must be rated a distinct possibility at this point, is enough to create an orgy of schadenfreude among journalists and media executives everywhere.
If Rebekah Brooks faces prosecution for a crime, she may not wish to serve it out, and take the time-honored step of giving up someone higher than herself in order to gain the cooperation of the authorities.
According to Bloomberg, News Corporation is now undervalued because of the scandals blighting its operations. Murdoch isn't an asset anymore; he's a l...
In the UK, the Murdoch scandal seems to be reawakening democracy. The people, press and politicians are rising up, holding the company and its executives legally accountable and are taking back control of their system. Could this happen in the US?
While it was fear of retribution on the front page that kept many British politicians securely under Murdoch's thumb, it was Prime Minister Cameron's decision to invite the influence into the top echelon of British government and in the end he may pay dearly for it.
Everybody senses that there is more at stake in the Murdoch affair than the management of newspapers and a "naughty" media-gone-wild. Everybody is right. It's our humanity that's at stake.
"Mr. Murdoch, I wanted to give you a rundown on what's come across the wires today." "Just give me the page one stuff." "OK. Andrew Cuomo told his...
It is relatively safe to assume that Murdoch's empire will very soon be history. But the question is, what might replace the vacuum that will emerge in its wake? The histories of imperial collapse offer some insight.
Here's a scenario that leads to the breakup of News Corp., the Murdochs out of power, the deflation of institutional journalism, a break in the too-cozy media-government complex, an unfortunate rise in regulation of media, and a fortunate opening for newcomers.
