The mainstream media has been having a field day with the ever unfolding Murdoch empire scandal. It seems that each new week brings another lurid headline to the fore. The main thing that amazes me is that most of the emphasis involves shining the light on the wrong rat!
Learning that a major news corporation engaged in unscrupulous behavior isn't really that surprising. Even a casual student of history should KNOW that this is par for the course. Corporations often do not pay much attention to mores OR laws IF they think than can get away with it. Their overriding goal is short-term profit and they tend to pooh-pooh anything that might get in their way.
As Jane Miller writes in Amorality in the UK, most of Murdoch's competitors are missing the bigger story.
Most importantly, other news corporations want to bring down Murdoch because it serves their own financial best interests. If the big Murdoch empire can be knocked down, these other media outlets hope to pickup a bigger share of the market and a bigger share means better profits.
Therefore, every tidbit they can dig up on Murdoch is trumpeted as loud as possible, while the topic of government collusion/corruption is treated as a pale secondary story.
Learning that a major news corporation engaged in unscrupulous behavior isn't really that surprising. Even a casual student of history should KNOW that this is par for the course. Corporations often do not pay much attention to mores OR laws IF they think than can get away with it. Their overriding goal is short-term profit and they tend to pooh-pooh anything that might get in their way.
As Jane Miller writes in Amorality in the UK, most of Murdoch's competitors are missing the bigger story.
I believe most people in the U.K. are more angered by intimidated politicians bootlicking Murdoch and his mafia, by the growing evidence of police corruption and their involvement in criminal journalistic activities — and especially by their cover up.It doesn't take a genius to figure out WHY other news organizations are giving this portion of the story the soft sell -- they most likely are in bed with the same government figures! In addition, the vast majority of mainstream media corporations are owned by conservatives and it serves their purposes to call out one supposedly rogue company as opposed to upsetting the mainstream apple cart.
The police had enough proof to charge News International with these crimes four years ago, but didn’t open the plastic bags with the evidence in them. Their refusal to investigate the material they held was mirrored by the Murdoch lawyers’ refusal to investigate what they held.
Most importantly, other news corporations want to bring down Murdoch because it serves their own financial best interests. If the big Murdoch empire can be knocked down, these other media outlets hope to pickup a bigger share of the market and a bigger share means better profits.
Therefore, every tidbit they can dig up on Murdoch is trumpeted as loud as possible, while the topic of government collusion/corruption is treated as a pale secondary story.
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