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Who does he think he is?
137/Tim Gopsill
A week before George W Bush launched his 2004 election campaign in the UK, another dangerously powerful American, Rupert Murdoch, dropped in and was treated with almost equal reverence, notably by the BBC.Murdoch was here to fix the top job in BSkyB, a company he does not even own, for his son James - a system of succession strikingly similar to those of the British monarchy and, at present, the American Presidency. After the BSkyB meeting he granted an audience to the BBC, which was shown on Newsnight. Business correspondent Jeff Randall took the opportunity to demonstrate a quite breathtaking degree or corporate obsequiousness, lobbing Murdoch a succession of cues for his pronouncements on the various issues of the day. Murdoch sat back in his chair and looked condescending. The interview made headlines for the hint that News International papers might drop their support for New Labour, and that certainly had a massive impact: within days the government reversed its line on the new EU constitution, from "we're going to push it through no matter what" to "we might veto the whole thing". But the language of the Murdoch interview was a story in itself. On the EU constitution, Murdoch said: "I don't like the idea of any more abdication of our sovereignty in economic affairs or anything else." Whose is this "our" sovereignty? (Murdoch is an Australian-born American, who switched nationality for business reasons; something he will not need to do again to buy a UK TV channel.) Did Jeff Randall ask? No, that would have been inappropriate. (This, remember, was Newsnight!) Instead he went on to political leadership. Murdoch said: "We will not quickly forget the courage of Tony Blair in the international sphere in the last several months …" Randall: "You talk about Prime Minister's courage in international affairs. I assume you're referring to Iraq?" Murdoch: "Yes." Randall: "What about on domestic issues? … Have you been disappointed by what they've done on tax and regulation?" Murdoch: "I think you're always disappointed when you see taxes going up and you see business and people being more and more regulated in their lives…" Randall: "Do you feel that [EU regulation] is damaging to business?" Murdoch: "I think it could be damaging to business …" There was harmony too on George Bush ("In Foreign Affairs, in most matters, in economic affairs, in getting taxes down, in moving to free up competition, getting business going, I think [he's] very good."). The dialogue ended with Jeff Randall's ingratiating "I am very grateful for your time."
Last modified: Thursday, March 31, 2005
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World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
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UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
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Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
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The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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International
Latest GATS News
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