Rupert Murdoch: An Alternative View

[Guest]

From yesterday's Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/30/rupert-murdoch-monopoly-news-corp?INTCMP=SRCH

No one would deny that Mr. Murdoch is a formidable entrepeneur and some may be surprised to know that he has alwasy been one of the least interventionist media barons. But, for all that, i think his influence on public life is malign and lowering

If only he could use his great talents in the cause of raising public taste rather than aiming for the lowest common denominator what a force for good he would be!

[kernelbogey]

A bit like the porter at Dunsinane writing an article to say what a decent wee laddie Macbeth is, such a good organiser, great risk taker....

[Frances_iom]

From yesterday's Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/30/rupert-murdoch-monopoly-news-corp?INTCMP=SRCH

look at the author - however as many have pointed out Murdoch is too powerful to be refused esp by rightwing tories - Cable was a total fool tho I suspect he could only have delayed the sale.

[Mandryka]

look at the author - however as many have pointed out Murdoch is too powerful to be refused esp by rightwing tories - Cable was a total fool tho I suspect he could only have delayed the sale.

Yes, I know Mr. McKenzie is not the most objective of people when it comes to talking about his ex-employer, but interesting to see a piece like this appearing in the Guardian.

I think the sale would have gone ahead, regardless of what kind of government we had: as you say, Cable could have done no more than delay, though I have a suspicion that his 'declaration of war' on Murdoch was just window-dressing to impress his more left-wing supporters and portray himself in a heroic light.

[eighthobstruction]

WHERE is the email from Tory central office [which will no doubt turn up]....that says that the day of the strikes would be a good day to quietly squeeze this news into the public arena [as Labour used 9/11 as a smokescreen to dispense unpalletable news....cannot remember what]???....it was a small unexpanded item on the 6 o'clock R4 news, and did not hear it expanded upon elsewhere.

[Mr Pee]

If only he could use his great talents in the cause of raising public taste rather than aiming for the lowest common denominator what a force for good he would be!

You obviously don't watch the Sky Arts Channels.

[Mandryka]

You obviously don't watch the Sky

Arts Channels.

I don't have Sky, but I have seen some of the Arts Channels' output and would agree that it seems to be excellent.

In a way, though, I think you're backing up my point: although Mr. Murdoch can talk the language of the street (he will have needed to learn it in order to communicate effectively with some of his 'star' editors), I'm not convinced that he himself is the yobbish, uncultured oik many of his critics make him out to be.

Mr. Murdoch could do a lot of good if he decided to extend Sky Arts channels' coverage to some of his more downmarket channels and force his viewers to watch some good opera/drama instead of Naked Darts, or whatever. In fact, if he decided to make the Currant Bun a more literate and less superficial newspaper, he'd be doing a lot toward the continuing education of its readership.

[Serial_Apologist]

Murdick's not in the slightest bit interested in educating anyone's readership. And btw by no means all dictators have been "uncultured". Mussolini? Even dare one say Hitler, in his limited way?

[hackneyvi]

I'm generally suspicious of this creep and have come to believe he has a resentment towards Britain and hostility to our culture not disimilar to Robert Mugabe. I think he's a form of pollution.

[Ferretfancy]

Stalin liked poets and only had a few shot.

[Serial_Apologist]

The fact that power relations under our so-called system allow a person such as he to be in the position he is is really what matters.

[Mandryka]

Stalin liked poets and only had a few shot.

I'm currently reading the Montefiore biography of Stalin: what a bizarre man he was. He was a big opera fan and an important patron of the outstanding Russian bass Mark Reizen. Though I doubt if that alone will lift him many rungs in hell.

Not sure if Murdoch can be reasonably compared to these dictators of yore. As mentioned, he's not very interventionist and has even been known to appoint people who don't share his political views (cf: David Yelland at the Sun) to editorships within his empire.

[Mandryka]

I'm generally suspicious of this creep and have come to believe he has a resentment towards Britain and hostility to our culture not disimilar to Robert Mugabe. I think he's a form of pollution.

I've known a few people from the Antipodes over the years....most of them very pleasant, but some of them do seem to have an inferiority complex about British/European culture; and an underlying resentment that their countries of origin are perceived as a 'backwater'.

Mr. Murdoch may not be immune to these feelings himself; becoming an American citizen (which he did in order to purchase an American newspaper) and baiting the heritage of the old homeland may be his way of dealing with them.

[Serial_Apologist]

I've known a few people from the Antipodes over the years....most of them very pleasant, but some of them do seem to have an inferiority complex about British/European culture; and an underlying resentment that their countries of origin are perceived as a 'backwater'.

Mr. Murdoch may not be immune to these feelings himself; becoming an American citizen (which he did in order to purchase an American newspaper) and baiting the heritage of the old homeland may be his way of dealing with them.

A man who reaches the top echelons of power to act out his personal dysfunctionalities. Just about sums it up, really.

[Mr Pee]

Mr. Murdoch could do a lot of good if he decided to extend Sky Arts channels' coverage to some of his more downmarket channels and force his viewers to watch some good opera/drama instead of Naked Darts, or whatever. In fact, if he decided to make the Currant Bun a more literate and less superficial newspaper, he'd be doing a lot toward the continuing education of its readership.

An interesting concept, however surely one of the reasons for Mr. Murdoch's great success and wealth is that he knows his consumers. I think that if The Sun started to try and educate it's "readers", they'd soon take their white vans off to buy the Daily Star instead.