Guest Post by Allan Grote,
The Government has decided that Rupert Murdoch can gain control of one of Britain's largest news corporations. Let's flood our politicians with tens of thousands of messages telling them we want Murdoch’s hands off our democracy: You can send a message to help stop this by clicking here -
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_uk/?cl=968449309&v=8532
Murdoch has used his vast media empire to push war in Iraq, elect George W Bush, and block global action on climate change, and if he wins this week in Britain he will use his networks here to undermine all the issues that we care about. He has manipulated US, British and Australian democracy for years, but now he wants more complete control. In the US, most of the likely Republican presidential candidates are actually paid employees of Murdoch! When his Fox News Network was shunned by Barack Obama as a mere propaganda mouthpiece, it spawned the far right "tea party"and broadcast constant, often hate-filled attacks against Obama and his healthcare and peace agenda -- resulting in a huge win for Republicans in the 2010 congressional elections.
Murdoch media staff have trampled laws and standards when gathering news. Several News Corporation executives approved phone hacking and, when a formal investigation began, they had regular secret meetings with senior police officers who then failed to investigate the full extent of the scandal. Our government should punish such an organisation, not allow it monopoly powers over our media. But if Rupert Murdoch is allowed to buy all of BSkyB this week, he will soon own half of our newspapers and television. This should not be allowed in any democracy.
We can turn the tide on this powerful threat to our democracy. In the end the News of the World phone hacking scandal forced David Cameron’s communications director to resign. And a mass outcry from Canadian Avaaz members recently prevented a Murdoch-style TV network from getting taxpayer funding and stopped the Canadian government from removing the journalistic standards that would prevent this new network from spreading lies to the public. The fight against Murdoch has just begun, but already we've begun to win. Let's do the same in Britain! Click below to send an urgent message and send this on to everyone:
Across the Arab world and beyond, people are coming together in common cause across all boundaries. Murdoch's power is the ability to divide. His networks spew fear and misinformation, dividing left from right, citizens from foreigners, muslim from western, immigrants from non-immigrants, etc. Murdoch knows that democracy must be divided before it can be conquered. This week, let's show him what unity looks like.
Sources:
Murdoch close to deal with regulators over Sky
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a40fc482-4060-11e0-9140-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1FHWHwqJE
If Murdoch gets BSkyB, it will be a victory for monopoly capitalism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/27/rupert-murdoch-bskyb-monopolies
'News of World' bosses dined with Met chief
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/news-of-world-bosses-dined-with-met-chief-2222814.html
Who is Rupert Murdoch?
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/07/b122948.html
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Allan Grote is a local environmental activist. Guest blogs are always welcome at the Barnet Eye. Just send via the link in the sidebar
The Government has decided that Rupert Murdoch can gain control of one of Britain's largest news corporations. Let's flood our politicians with tens of thousands of messages telling them we want Murdoch’s hands off our democracy: You can send a message to help stop this by clicking here -
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_uk/?cl=968449309&v=8532
Murdoch has used his vast media empire to push war in Iraq, elect George W Bush, and block global action on climate change, and if he wins this week in Britain he will use his networks here to undermine all the issues that we care about. He has manipulated US, British and Australian democracy for years, but now he wants more complete control. In the US, most of the likely Republican presidential candidates are actually paid employees of Murdoch! When his Fox News Network was shunned by Barack Obama as a mere propaganda mouthpiece, it spawned the far right "tea party"and broadcast constant, often hate-filled attacks against Obama and his healthcare and peace agenda -- resulting in a huge win for Republicans in the 2010 congressional elections.
Murdoch media staff have trampled laws and standards when gathering news. Several News Corporation executives approved phone hacking and, when a formal investigation began, they had regular secret meetings with senior police officers who then failed to investigate the full extent of the scandal. Our government should punish such an organisation, not allow it monopoly powers over our media. But if Rupert Murdoch is allowed to buy all of BSkyB this week, he will soon own half of our newspapers and television. This should not be allowed in any democracy.
We can turn the tide on this powerful threat to our democracy. In the end the News of the World phone hacking scandal forced David Cameron’s communications director to resign. And a mass outcry from Canadian Avaaz members recently prevented a Murdoch-style TV network from getting taxpayer funding and stopped the Canadian government from removing the journalistic standards that would prevent this new network from spreading lies to the public. The fight against Murdoch has just begun, but already we've begun to win. Let's do the same in Britain! Click below to send an urgent message and send this on to everyone:
Across the Arab world and beyond, people are coming together in common cause across all boundaries. Murdoch's power is the ability to divide. His networks spew fear and misinformation, dividing left from right, citizens from foreigners, muslim from western, immigrants from non-immigrants, etc. Murdoch knows that democracy must be divided before it can be conquered. This week, let's show him what unity looks like.
Sources:
Murdoch close to deal with regulators over Sky
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a40fc482-4060-11e0-9140-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1FHWHwqJE
If Murdoch gets BSkyB, it will be a victory for monopoly capitalism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/27/rupert-murdoch-bskyb-monopolies
'News of World' bosses dined with Met chief
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/news-of-world-bosses-dined-with-met-chief-2222814.html
Who is Rupert Murdoch?
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/07/b122948.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allan Grote is a local environmental activist. Guest blogs are always welcome at the Barnet Eye. Just send via the link in the sidebar
2 comments:
Whatever the criticisms of Rupert Murdoch are some of the comments in your post are a bit bizarre.
Let me just pick out two.
Firstly, Sky News has been purposefully split off from Sky TV. So saying Murdoch has 'taken over' this big news corporation doesn't make too much sense. He will only own the same 39% he owns now.
Secondly, Sky News is great and FREE. As someone very interested in politics I am disgusted at how both 'public service' broadcasters have dumbed down and scaled back their political coverage. ITV almost has no serious political programming when it used to have lots, especially on a Sunday, which is devoid of politics on ITV.
Sky News has been welcome competition to the duopoly of ITV and the BBC. It provides excellent coverage, often more comprehensively than the BBC and people aren't sent to prison for not paying it's licence fee.
So, no, not a slavish worship of Murdoch but the suggestion that News Corp is the devil incarnate is way way off of the mark.
Dan,
I don't agree with your view of Sky News. It's OK, no more. It does little investigative journalism (aka Panorama, Dispatches), has too many "celebrity guest reviewers" and I've always perceived a right of centre bias (but I accept that may just be my perception). I think that Rupert Murdoch should never have been allowed to own a paper and a TV channel. I'd say the same about any individual.
I happen to think the BBC do a good job, although I think the criticism that it's Hampstead leftie is fair.
It is interesting that on a wider note, I've never had a single Tory ever ask to do a guest blog on the Barnet Eye. I've always tried to make the blog readable by all and I am always pleased to get views comments from Tories (even ones such as Amanda as they often inadvertently prove my point).
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