From Rupert Murdoch’s decision to close the News Of The World, to his full-page ‘sorry’ ad on multiple newspapers are we witnessing the beginning of the end? I have dedicated a lot of my blog posts this past week to News Corp because I feel that the hacking scandal sets a precedent for the entire industry. Let me explain why this is such a big deal.
From the FBI to the British Government’s independent inquiry, News Corp faces the most stringent of investigations in its company history. Politicians are taking stands, and no one wants to be on the losing team. Murdoch has it very bad, and to add to that pressure, 911 victims could soon be the latest additions to the scandal hit list. If the FBI reveals these allegations to be true, News Corp will face the biggest backlash from its core audience : Americans. 911 is the most traumatic post-world war 2 event in US modern history. To exploit the deaths of 911 victims for profit would be the last stand.
So, why is it such a big deal for the entire industry? Well, if these are the kind of ‘acceptable tactics’ newspapers and magazines have been using up to this point, expect to see a lot more allegations, scandals and revelations revealed in the weeks to come. I feel this has created a huge public awareness campaign in itself and in our digital world, you can’t hide using these tactics for long, as we can see today.
Rupert Murdoch critics will attack him for his right-wing political agenda, but allies will also have to question ethics at News Corp. Ethics and politics are two separate issues affecting the media giant today, but both are intertwined. If It becomes politically dangerous to be aligned with Murdoch because of his companies’ ethics, his supporters will be forced to ‘withdraw’. This includes high stake shareholders and other media industry supporters, from celebrities to politicians.
Let me give you a key example of this : British Prime Minister David Cameron. He is on full damage limitation mode because he is closely linked to Rupert Murdoch. He has called for an inquiry and has publicly condemned the tactics of the News Of The World. He has also wined and dined with News Corp employees on many occasions, which were recently revealed, only adding that painfully obvious truth. Rupert Murdoch could not have a bigger supporter in the UK than David Cameron, until last week. So it just goes to show, that even allies of Murdoch have to ‘switch’.
If more allegations become true, it will become harder for News Corp to defend its media outlets, and people will become more critical and opposed to such brazenly disgusting tactics, so will those who believe in News Corp. I for one have no political agenda, affiliation with News Corp or any of its employees, but I know that these coming days will be the hardest they will have to face. I only wish for the best outcome, and hope that News Corp can put an end to these unjust tactics that are so fundamentally against what journalism should be about.
What do you think about News Corp and these recent controversies?
