I do press criticism on how the New York Times covers things and how CNN covers things. And I did a piece that probed the anger overseas about what is called American cultural imperialism. Auletta covers his beat with the wit and skepticism of a seasoned reporter. Typical of his caution was his reaction to a recent coup by Rupert Murdoch, who presides over an international print and electronic media empire. Murdoch's Fox Entertainment had just wrested control of 12 major television stations from CBS and other networks.
Networks are dinosaurs.
What's happening is interactivity. Auletta, however, thinks that maybe Murdoch made a good move. You know, what Murdoch did is not so crazy if you make either or both of two assumptions. First, if you assume, as I know Rupert Murdoch assumes, that even if interactivity in fact comes, it will come more slowly than its prophets believe, meaning that it will reach critical mass in 20 or 25 years rather than four or five, and in the interim, Murdoch has a nice business in broadcasting and can make a lot of money. That's one assumption, and it's held by Murdoch.