Rupert Murdoch

[[File:Rupert Murdoch - Flickr - Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer (2).jpg|thumb|right|168px|''Eeeeeexcellent.'']]
{{media}}

{{cquote|Never pick a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel.|||Unknown<ref>[https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/never_argue_with_a_man_who_buys_ink_by_the_barrel/ Barry Popik]</ref>}}
{{cquote|Tip of the Hat to Fox News for bringing in some fresh blood, and not just for Rupert Murdoch's wine cellar!|||Stephen Colbert on the July 16th, 2013, edition of <i>The Colbert Report</i>}}

'''Keith Rupert Murdoch,''' AC<ref group=note>Companion of the Order of Australia</ref> {{lived|11 March 1931|}} is an [[Australia]]n-born [[United States|American]] ancient, evil fear-monger, and former<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/21/media/rupert-murdoch-steps-down-fox/index.html "Rupert Murdoch steps down as Fox and News Corp. chairman, sending shockwaves through media and politics"] by Oliver Darcy, CNN, 2023 September 21</ref> Co-Chairman of News Corp (aka News Corp Australia in [[Australia]]) and Fox Corporation.<ref>Sinclair, Lara, [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/news-limited-to-rebrand-as-part-of-split/story-e6frg996-1226670066343?nk=ad79ef0d684bbbbebfa3c7e80cb094bf-1468845346 "News Limited to Rebrand as Part of Split"], ''The Australian'' (6/26/13 at 11:36AM).</ref><ref name="Lachlan">{{cite web |url=http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/16/media/lachlan-murdoch-new-fox-ceo/index.html |title=Lachlan Murdoch, not James, will lead New Fox company |last=Disis |first=Jill |work=CNN Money |date=May 16, 2018 |accessdate=May 17, 2018}}</ref> He is responsible for the "we [[Journalism#Yellow_journalism|report]] you [[Confirmation bias|decide]]" blatherers known as [[Fox News]] (US), Sky News (now in Australia, the UK division since sold), and Sun News (Canada).

He is the publisher of many newspapers, most notably the ''[[New York Post]]'', ''[[The Sun]]'', and ''[[News of the World]]'' before it was closed down. This man can hack the phones of royal families on the one hand, and crush high-speed internet in Australia with the other; that's some Tywin Lannister shit right there. He's got an Emmy, for crying out loud. 

He is also the owner of {{wpl|HarperCollins}}, one of the Big Five publishers in the English-speaking world. One of the imprints of the company is Thomas Nelson which specialized in [[religious]] (read: [[Christianity]]) books and notably published [[Jim Bakker]]'s 
in
famous ''[[Jim Bakker#I Was Wrong|I Was Wrong]]'' and more recently, ''[[Heaven Is for Real]]''. It is also published [[Bible translation#New International Version|NIV]] [[Bible]] via its imprint Zondervan.

Definitely qualifies as a "[[Right Wing Bastards|right wing bastard]]", and a heartless one at that. Even by right-wing standards. He has had such an ongoing negative impact on the world that it may never really recover. Also, remember [[Myspace]]? Yeah, he's the reason it's dead.<ref> Greenslade, Roy, [https://amp.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/nov/18/rupert-murdoch-myspace "Murdoch ruined MySpace, says its founder"], ''[[The Guardian]]'' (11/18/13 at 07:00AM EST) </ref>

Later on, he and his family sold the British Sky<ref group=note>The Sky television empire was split into multiple ownership: Comcast in Europe, Walt Disney in India, AT&T in Latin America, and Murdoch only retained the Australian Sky.</ref> to {{wpl|Comcast}} and the portions of Fox media empire (21st Century Fox) to [[The Walt Disney Company]]. Not included in the sale were Fox News, Fox Business, and U.S. version of Fox Sports.

==Old man yells at cloud==

{{cquote|He was, and still is, a frustrated politician.|||John Menadue<ref>Beckett, Andy, [http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/20/murdochs-politics-david-mcknight-review "Murdoch's Politics: How One Man's Thirst for Wealth and Power Shapes Our World by David McKnight – review"], ''[[The Guardian]]'' 2.20.13.</ref>}}

He wants television in the UK to be less regulated, and to become more like India, Japan, or France. He also wants to remove impartiality from news broadcasts, and to do away with the [[BBC]] which raises standards that commercial channels have to compete with—a very different tune from what he said in 1968. In an interview he gave with the BBC,<ref>https://youtu.be/wtcq8RDDPFU?t=1m5s</ref> he warned about the dangers of newspapers hiding or distorting the truth, and said they have a responsibility for factual reporting. He argued the best was to ensure this was competition between news outlets. Power corrupts and all that (in the early 1950s, he kept a bust of [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]] in his rooms at Oxford.)<ref>Clarkestes, Adam, [http://www.thewire.com/business/2011/11/rupert-murdoch-kept-bust-lenin-oxford-dorm-room/44558/ "Rupert Murdoch Kept a Bust of Lenin in His Oxford Dorm Room"], The Wire (11/4/11 10:11AM ET).</ref> 

A hallmark of Rupert's editorial style is to dumb down each magazine he acquires—not so much to broaden its readership, but to toot his [[Populism|populist]]/[[Anti-intellectualism|anti-intellectualist]] horn.<ref>France-Presse, Agence, [http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1338133/outsider-mentality-pits-murdoch-against-elite-says-new-book 'Media tycoon still sees himself as anti-establishment despite wide influence'], South China Post 10.23.13.</ref> Sophistication is a quality he has always hated; he never had much interest in the professional end of the business, and feels more affinity with tabloids like the ''Star'' and the ''Post''.<ref>Meade, Amanda, [http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/aug/26/rupert-murdoch-runs-news-corp-along-feudal-lines-kim-williams-says "Rupert Murdoch runs News Corp along ‘feudal' lines, Kim Williams says"], ''[[The Guardian]]'' 9.26.14.</ref> 

Murdoch makes no secret of using his empire to promote his [[Culture war|"values"]] i.e. the interests of the Murdoch business empire.<ref>Danczak, Felix, [http://www.varsity.co.uk/opinion/3182 "‘Newscorp is a reflection of my thinking’"] ''Varsity'' 1..8.16.</ref><ref>[http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140122145147/http:/www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Transcript-of-Morning-Hearing-25-April-2012.pdf Leveson Inquiry transcript 4.25.12]. '''Murdoch''': "If you want to judge my thinking, look at ''The Sun''."</ref> How does the relentless persecution of footballers, tattoo shops, fat people and rape victims help his business interests? That stuff is pure ideological bile. The answer: Because they thrive off the boomer generation and that's how they roll. He just aligns his papers with what his readers want to hear: ''The Sun'' is read by Leave Voters; ''The Times'', Remain.<ref>Greenslade, Roy, [http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/17/eu-referendum-the-times-the-sun-brexit "The Times goes for remain, days after Sun backed Brexit"], ''[[The Guardian]]'' (6/17/16 at 18:30 EDT).</ref>

He belongs to no party. Rupert's beliefs line up with conservatism, which is great, and candidates are willing pawns; but as everyone soon learns, there's no particular favouritism.<ref>Gottfried, Paul, [http://www.theamericanconservative.com/2011/07/27/murdoch-is-daddy-warbucks-to-the-neocons/ "Murdoch is Daddy Warbucks to the Neocons"], The American Conservative 7.27.11.</ref><ref>Wolff, Michael, [https://newrepublic.com/article/106460/why-rupert-murdoch-hates-mitt-romney "Mad Murdoch Maligns Mousy Mitt"], New Republic 8.23.12. '''Wolff''': "The style he likes most of all in a politician is a lack of obvious style, a dearth of charm and salesmanship. ([[Psychological projection|He seeks his own character]], in other words.)"</ref><ref>Peterson Beadle, Amanda, [http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/08/05/640801/rubert-murdoch-every-voter-should-read-conspiracy-theory-book-about-obama/ "Rupert Murdoch: ‘Every Voter Should Read’ Conspiracy Theory Book About Obama"], ThinkProgress (9/5/12 10:36 am).</ref> Rupert backs politicians until they have outlived their usefulness to him. After that, he uses his papers to undermine and destroy them, while at the same time showering praises on the next Golden Boy. And once they're in office, Murdoch will call in his favours, with the implicit threat of, ''"I made you, I can destroy you"'' looming in the background.<ref>[[John Major]] at Leveson, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLQxz9WFZGA "Rupert Murdoch told me to change policy on Europe"], ''[[Telegraph]]'' 6.12.12. Pretty disturbing.</ref> He's been doing it since Thatcher and he was insanely proud of himself.
 
===More bugaboos===

{{cquote|It is in principle extraordinarily unhealthy for a single corporation to own two thirds of the metropolitan press...while News Corp retains its present dominance, mainstream debate about certain fundamental ideologically sensitive questions – how to respond adequately to the climate-change crisis; what levels and kinds of taxation are needed to develop the welfare state; the trajectory of foreign policy during the rise of China; Australia’s Middle Eastern policy; and, of course, media reform – is effectively ruled out in advance.|||Robert Manne<ref name="nosferatu">Manne, Robert, [https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2013/november/1383224400/robert-manne/why-rupert-murdoch-can-t-be-stopped "Why Rupert Murdoch Can't Be Stopped"], The Monthly (Nov. 2013). His mother popped her clogs only recently, so don't get your hopes up. (Society advances one funeral at a time.)</ref>}}

But the Murdoch press is not just hack journalism. There is an agenda way beyond selling papers; this is evidenced by ''The Sun'' and ''The Australian'' running at a loss. The world's discussion of things like social security, taxation, and universal healthcare has been hugely discolored by the editorial influence of Murdoch and the huge reach of his publications. Daily repetition of his viewpoints entrenches those perceptions in the minds of the wider population. It's been [[Argument by repetition|decades of slow change]], but successful: the general population no longer believes government can be a tool to benefit society at large; they now distrust government, ask why the government takes their money, and resent things like social welfare.

*He can't seem to make up his mind on immigrants. One minute he wants to secure the border, the next he defends them as a source of cheap labor.<ref>Murdoch, [http://www.wsj.com/articles/rupert-murdoch-immigration-reform-cant-wait-1403134311 "Immigration Reform Can't Wait"], ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' 6.18.14 op-ed.</ref><ref>Murphy, Katherine, [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/31/rupert-murdoch-australia-embrace-immigrants-economy "Rupert Murdoch says Australia must embrace immigrants to boost economy"], ''[[The Guardian]]''10.31.13.</ref>
*Feeling unknown and you're all alone? Flesh and bone by the telephone? Lift up the receiver, he'll make you a believer.<ref name="divide and rule">[http://12840-presscdn-0-47.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/aziz-v-rupert-rupert-tweet-1.jpg 1.9.15 Tweet. "Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing Jihadist cancer they must be held responsible."]</ref><ref>O'Malley, Nick, [http://www.smh.com.au/world/paris-attacks-barack-obama-rejects-rupert-murdochs-call-on-christian-refugees-20151117-gl0ry7.html "Paris attacks: Barack Obama rejects Rupert Murdoch's call on Christian refugees"], SMH 11.17.15.</ref><ref>Braun, Will, [http://geezmagazine.org/blogs/entry/rupert-murdochs-big-bible-business "Rupert Murdoch: Bible mogul"], ''Geez Magazine'' 7.14.11. Zondervan has said that its connection to News Corporation does not present an "[http://www.christiantoday.com/article/zondervan.says.rupert.murdoch.connection.does.not.present.ethical.dilemma/28315.htm ethical dilemma]" for the company.</ref><ref>Shiv, Malik, [http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/16/rupert-murdoch-tweets-conspiracy-theories-flight-mh370-disappearance "Rupert Murdoch tweets all kinds of crazy over flight MH370 disappearance"], ''The Guardian'' (3/1614 9:35am EDT).</ref>
*He is a champion of fossil fuels.<ref>Fruhlinger, Josh, [http://wonkette.com/416290/palin-murdoch-announce-moose-extermination-plan-on-twitter "Palin, Murdoch Announce Moose-Extermination Plan On Twitter"], 6.25.10.</ref><ref>Ostrande, Madeline, [http://www.thenation.com/article/parable-rupert-murdoch/ "The Parable of Rupert Murdoch"], ''[[The Nation]]'' 8.16.13. '''Robert Manne''': "In the real world, scientists accepting the climate consensus view outnumber denialists by more than 99 to one. In the Alice in Wonderland world of [The] ''Australian'', their contributions were outnumbered 10 to one.”</ref> In his mind, one of the biggest effects of climate change is that rich people won't be able to have (as many) massive beach houses (where they currently are). The privilege of the 1% on display.<ref>Meade, Amanda, [http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jul/13/rupert-murdoch-labors-nbn-was-ridiculous "News Corp owner says broadband network not needed and Australia 'shouldn't build windmills and all that rubbish'"], ''The Guardian'' (7/13/14 1:23am EDT). '''Murdoch''': "At the moment the north pole is melting [[Global_warming#Antarctic_sea_ice_is_increasing|but the south pole is getting bigger.]]"</ref>
*He is vehemently opposed to [[trade union]]s, sometimes getting personally involved in disputes.<ref>Guthrie, Katherine, [http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/thatchers-union-busting-paved-the-way-mu "Thatcher’s union busting paved the way for Murdoch empire"], [[MSNBC]] (04/17/13 09:59 AM, updated 09/13/13 08:47 AM).</ref> 
*He [[Euroskepticism|despises the EU]] because it weakens Britain’s [[Puppet state|subservience to the US]]. RM dropped support for [[John Major]]’s government because of what he perceived to be pro-EU politics,<ref> John Plunkett and Lisa O'Carroll, [http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/12/rupert-murdoch-john-major "Rupert Murdoch pressured me over Europe, says John Major"], ''The Guardian'' (6/12/12 8:26 EDT).</ref> and he was even willing to publicly chastise [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher]] when she veered from the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] agenda.<ref>Castle, Steven, [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/world/europe/documents-show-thatcher-reagan-rift-over-us-grenada-invasion.html "Documents Show Thatcher-Reagan Rift Over U.S. Decision to Invade Grenada"], NYT 7/31/13.</ref> As Murdoch himself once said, "When I go into Downing Street they do what I say; when I go to Brussels they take no notice."<ref>Chris Doyle, [https://twitter.com/Doylech/status/702965349696798724 2/2/16 Tweet] (1:16 PM).</ref>
*[[Tax haven|Loves freebies]] but wants others to go without.<ref>Chenoweth, Neil, [http://www.afr.com/news/policy/tax/media-companies-linked-to-the-murdochs-pay-the-least-tax-20151223-gluc5v "Media Companies Linked to Murdoch Pay the Least Tax"], ''Financial Review'' (1/5/16 11:52 AM, Updated 1/5/16 2:45 PM).</ref><ref>Hutton, Robert, [http://www.theage.com.au/business/media-and-marketing/rupert-murdoch-attacks-google-for-paying-token-taxes-20160127-gmflu5.html "Rupert Murdoch attacks Google for paying 'token' taxes"], ''The Age'' (1/2816 9:53AM).</ref><ref>Williams, Gail, [http://www.counterfire.org/articles/book-reviews/16409-murdochs-politics-how-one-mans-thirst-for-wealth-and-power-shapes-our-world "Rupert Murdoch wonders if 400-pound woman got that way from food stamps, welfare"], Examiner (1.16.13 10:41 AM MST).</ref>
*In 2014, he tweeted: "Where will this end? Guinness pulls out of religious parade bullied by gay orgs who try to take it over. Hope all Irish boycott the stuff". He was referring to the New York St Patrick's Day parade whose organizers were continuing to resist the participation of gay groups and the end of a sponsorship deal following from this position.<ref>[https://archive.nytimes.com/thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/murdoch-urges-irish-to-boycott-guinness-over-its-embrace-of-gay-rights/ "Murdoch Urges Irish to Boycott Guinness Over Its Embrace of Gay Rights"], Robert Mackey, The New York Times, March 17, 2014</ref> Nearly a decade earlier, during a 2006 television interview with Charlie Rose, Murdoch was asked about gay marriage: "I believe it is wrong. I'm considered homophobic and crazy about these things and old fashioned. But I think that the family - father, mother, children - is fundamental to our civilisation."<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-world-according-to-rupert-6094669.html "The world according to Rupert"], The Independent on Sunday, Nicholas Wapshott, July 23, 2006</ref> 
*Has families with his first three wives and is a four-times divorced man now married to his fifth wife since June 2024.<ref>[https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/rupert-murdoch-wives-lovers-relationships-divorce-b1068891.html "Rupert Murdoch's love Elena Zhukova, and the story of his many wives"], Evening Standard, September 9, 2024</ref>  He did not have a woman appointed to the board of News Corporation until 2007 (after purchasing ''The Wall Street Journal''). Apparently, he thinks "women talk too much", according to the 2008 Murdoch biography by Michael Wolff.<ref> [https://archive.is/TPGe6#selection-3541.203-3541.216 "Murdoch the joker and the drinker"], Matthew Ricketson, Sydney Morning Herald, December 1, 2008 [https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/murdoch-the-joker-and-the-drinker-20081201-gdt4wx.html Original article]. The Michael Wolff biography was entitled: ''The Man Who Owns The News: Inside the Secret World of Rupert Murdoch''.</ref>
*He's opposed to paid sick leave or equal-opportunity hiring.<ref>Strasser, Annie-Rose, [http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/08/06/644091/murdoch-sick-days-absurd/ "Rupert Murdoch Calls Paid Sick Leave ‘Absurd’"], ThinkProgress 8.6.12.</ref><ref>Welsh, Dylan, [http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/new-to-twitter-the-tweet-murdoch-took-down--fast-20120102-1phxs.html "New to Twitter: the tweet Murdoch took down ... fast"], ''Sydney Morning Herald'' 1.2.12.</ref><ref>Justin Berrier, Julie Millican, Eric Schroeck, and Christine Schwen, [http://mediamatters.org/research/2010/10/01/herridge-is-not-alone-news-corps-history-of-dis/171399 "Herridge is not alone: News Corp.'s history of discrimination complaints"], Media Matters 10.1.10.</ref>
*Rupert is no friend to the Jews; he just wants his blood money: [[Israel]] illegally gave him oil rights to Occupied [[Syria]] and now he's come to collect.<ref>Kelley, Michael B., [http://www.businessinsider.com/israel-grants-golan-heights-oil-license-2013-2 "Israel Grants First Golan Heights Oil Drilling License To Dick Cheney-Linked Company"], ''Business Insider'' (2/22/13, 2:45 PM).</ref>
*He naturally sees the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] (ABC), the BBC and other public broadcasters as enemies to News Corp, and his particular conservative ideology.<ref>Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane, [http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/12/03/the-abc-v-the-murdochs-your-guide-to-the-battlefields/ "The ABC v the Murdochs: your guide to the battlefields"], Crikey (12/3/13 12:44PM).</ref>
*In fairness to him, he made some noises about [[gun control]] some years ago.<ref>Sherman, Gabriel, [http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/12/murdoch-wants-new-gun-laws-fox-news-not-so-much.html "Rupert Murdoch Wants Stricter Gun Laws After Newtown, But Fox News Doesn’t Get the Memo"], ''New York Magazine'' (12/17/12 5:21 p.m.). ''It wasn't an assault rifle. The media exaggerates. Sincerely: [[Gun nut]]s''.</ref> Solid bloke. Now if only he wouldn't broadcast [[NRA]] propaganda in the wake of a fucking school massacre.<ref>Liptak, Kevin, [http://www.politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/11/dont-air-nra-race-senator-asks-rupert-murdoch/?ht=hp_t2 "Don't air NRA race, senator asks Rupert Murdoch"], [[CNN]] (4/11/13 at 07:45 PM ET).</ref>

==A Song of Ink and Paper: A Feast for Editors==
His heir is set to continue doing exactly the same. There's an infamous speech he gave a few years back which leaves no doubt.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/aug/28/james-murdoch-bbc-mactaggart-edinburgh-tv-festival</ref> Supposedly his kids are a lot more [[liberal]]<ref>Grove, Lloyd, [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/01/09/the-fox-murdoch-feud.html "The Fox-Murdoch Feud"], Daily Beast 1.9.10.</ref> so change may be underway if James can pry it out from his cold, dead fingers. Even if Murdoch dies, his five other Horcruxes will be intact. (News of the World was his sixth.)<ref name="nosferatu" />

==In the US==

{{cquote|Murdoch owns or controls print, cable and film outlets in so many places that his cultural and political views are fast becoming a feature of global geography. The sun never sets on his broadcast empire, a giant hovering Death Star that's been firing laser cannons of "Rupert Murdoch's Many Repellent Thoughts About Stuff" at planet Earth for decades now. Yet Murdoch apparently [[Persecution complex|still doesn't feel like he's getting his point across]].|||[[Matt Taibbi]]<ref>Taibbi, [http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/rupert-murdoch-is-deviant-scum-20151013 "Rupert Murdoch is Deviant Scum"], ''Rolling Stone''.</ref>}}

By [[United States]] law, no foreign citizen may own any controlling interest in a company that in turn owns local [[radio]] or television stations or networks. Murdoch got around this by becoming a naturalized US citizen in 1985. After that, News Corp (then called "News Limited") bought MetroMedia's TV stations. Murdoch then merged them with 20th Century Fox -- which News Corp bought in 1984 -- and launched the Fox Broadcasting Company in 1986. At first, Fox Broadcasting lost money hand over fist because most of its affiliates were low-power UHF stations. The only strong shows Fox had during this period were ''[[The Simpsons]]''<ref group=note>''The Simpsons''' character Montgomery Burns is allegedly based on Murdoch.</ref> and ''Married...With Children''.

Then, in 1993, Murdoch dumped a truckload of money into the National Football League's boardroom, cementing a deal that wrested National Football Conference games away from CBS. Longtime CBS affiliates — many of them high-power VHF stations in large markets like Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Milwaukee and Tampa — jumped ship and signed with Fox. Soon, the former also-ran network had solidified its position to the point that Murdoch was able to make his next move. In 1996, [[Fox News]] debuted. (And you probably thought that sports had little influence on history!) Ever since, Murdoch and his empire have generally helped to slant American media in a "[[Fascism|right-wing]]" direction.

Murdoch, formerly a [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]], identifies as a 
tits-on-parade lover
 [[born again]] Christian, with [[Rick Warren]] as his pastor, no less. Warren was put off by Rupert's condemnation of [[pornography]] while profiting directly from same.<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2007/05/41520/ "Murdoch pastor gets heat for mogul's porn channels"], [[World Net Daily]].</ref>

===Worse yet===

And now: the Dow! He also owns the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' and NatGeo.<ref>Farhi, Paul, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/national-geographic-society-sets-biggest-layoff-in-its-history/2015/11/03/2966e1b4-8252-11e5-a7ca-6ab6ec20f839_story.html "National Geographic Society sets biggest layoff in its history"], [[WaPo]]. (11.3.15.)</ref> Also distinguish between the National Geographic Society, which Murdoch does ''not'' own, and the NatGeo channel, which Fox had partially owned from 1997 until 2019.<ref group=note>Majority of NatGeo channel ownership is now owned by The Walt Disney Company after its acquisition of 21st Century Fox.</ref>

He also publishes TV Guide, which once published hard-hitting multi-issue investigative journalism about the TV industry. Since News Corp bought it, TV Guide has become little more than a gossip magazine. It doesn't even include local listings any more, which was its original selling point.<ref group=note>Of course, now that every {{wpl|set-top box}} has its own {{wpl|electronic program guide}}, it would be very hard to sell a magazine with TV Guide's original point. Of course, that's no reason for the disappearance of the hard-hitting multi-issue investigative journalism, unless...</ref>

Fox Interactive, i.e. the [[video game]]-hating ''Fox & Friends'', and IGN Entertainment were both owned by the same company: News Corp. They say there are two sides to every story, and criminal billionaire Rupert Murdoch knows it's a good idea to control both.<ref>Everiss, Bruce, [http://www.bruceongames.com/2009/07/27/is-this-the-big-news-corporation-gaming-move/ "Is this the big News Corporation gaming move?"], 7.27.09.</ref> IGN’s “original properties” include garbage like AskMen.com and TeamXbox. Thankfully, this division went bust and the assets were sold to {{wpl|Ziff Davis}} (IGN) or outside investors (Myspace, which later bought out by {{wpl|Time Inc.}} and now became a {{wpl|Meredith Corporation}} division)

He idolizes [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]],<ref>Marr, David, [https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2011/december/1330563322/david-marr/politics-news "The Politics of News"], ''The Monthly'' (2002). '''Murdoch''' "The American press might get their pleasure in successfully crucifying Nixon. But the last laugh would be on them. See how they like it when the commies take over the West.” [http://i.imgur.com/NdvFnNC.png (unrelated image)]</ref> and forged relationships with [[William Casey]], [[Roy Cohn]], and others in the [[CIA]].<ref>Parry, Robert, [https://consortiumnews.com/2014/12/31/murdoch-scaife-and-cia-propaganda/ "Murdoch, Scaife and CIA Propaganda"], Consortium News 12.31.14.</ref>

===#RupertsFault===
On January 9, 2015, in the wake of the ''[[Charlie Hebdo]]'' massacre in Paris, Murdoch took to his Twitter account to share his words of wisdom. He took the opportunity to share his [[Islamophobia]], saying, "Maybe most Moslems[''sic''] peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible."<ref name="divide and rule" /> Rupert is apparently unaware that literally ''every'' time a jihadist attack occurs, Muslims are among the first to disavow it, the Paris shooting being no exception.<ref>	Carol Kuruvilla & Antonia Blumberg, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/07/muslims-respond-charlie-hebdo_n_6429710.html "Muslims Around The World Condemn Charlie Hebdo Attack"], [[HuffPo]] (01/07/2015 11:43 am EST, updated 01/08/2015 2:59 pm EST).</ref><ref>Fraser, Nelson, [http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/fraser-nelson/2015/01/not-in-our-name-muslims-respond-in-revulsion-to-charlie-hebdo-shooting/ "Not in our name – Muslims respond in revulsion to Charlie Hebdo massacre"], The Spectator 1.7.15.</ref> Needless to say, the response was less than amicable. One particularly virulent attack on Murdoch's generalizations came in the form of Aziz Ansari. He started a fun little trend on Twitter, "#RupertsFault", detailing all the horrible things Christian extremists have done from which Murdoch has failed to properly distance himself.<ref>[https://twitter.com/RupertsFault Rupert's Fault (@RupertsFault)]</ref>

==In the UK==
{{main|News UK}}

{{cquote|Why are you so opposed to Rupert? He's going to get us in.|||[[Margaret Thatcher]]<ref>Fowler, Norman [http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/may/11/post-murdoch-reform-media-ownership "In the Post-Murdoch Era, We Must Reform Media Ownership"], ''The Guardian'' (5/11/12 7:02 EDT).</ref>}}

Murdoch made his first entry into the [[United Kingdom|British]] market in 1968 when he bought the ''News of the World'', and under a year later ''[[The Sun]]'', once a proper newspaper but later turned into an irrelevant tabloid, partly due to his approval of splashing [[Breasts|tits]] all over Page 3. By 1986, he also owned the Times and Sunday Times, giving him a scope across the high-brow and low-brow press. Television was conquered in the 1990s with the creation of Sky Television and its partial monopoly over Football Broadcasting in Britain, and the Sky News Channel (which alongside [[BBC]] News is one of only two British 24-hour news channels to survive - the ITV News Channel having died in the 2000s and BSB's Now only lasting for a few months in 1990 before BSB's merger with Sky).<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14078128 BBC News &mdash; Profile: Rupert Murdoch]</ref> All of his publications are right wing and supported the Conservative Party throughout the Thatcher and Major leaderships. In the late 1990s, Murdoch invited [[Tony Blair]] to Australia leading to an order to tone down attacks on the left-wing Labour party and the Sun in particular endorsed Blair in the 1997 election. However, all newspapers swung back to the right for the 2010 election, and Murdoch's papers are generally seen as rather right-wing. UK citizens don't like it when foreigners pick their fruit, or nurse them when they're sick, but a foreigner controlling a large chunk of the media is acceptable.

Murdoch attempted to make a bid to control the whole of BSkyB, which fell under attack by MPs across all parties due to having so much power already.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/12/rupert-murdoch-bskyb-news-international The Guardian - Rupert Murdoch facing BSkyB defeat as parties unite in call to drop takeover]</ref> Eventually, he dropped the bid because it turned out he hadn't been entirely legal in the way he'd got stories for some of his papers.

He, and the whole of News Corp., fell out of favour with everyone when it turned out he'd been having phones hacked here, there and everywhere, including those of celebrities and the families of recently-dead kids. He thought that by dropping his BSkyB takeover bid and stopping the publication of ''News of the World'', people would forgive him. They didn't. The hacking prompted the [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15717764 Leveson Inquiry], which had the purpose of nailing Murdoch's coffin down good and tight. (Nah, he'll just dematerialize and flee into the air vents like [[Dick Cheney]].)

Sky was sold to Comcast which originally bid for the 21st Century Fox (which was, later acquired by Walt Disney Company) but later turned its attention to Sky instead.<ref>https://variety.com/2018/tv/global/comcast-buys-sky-shares-open-market-1202956344/</ref><ref>http://www.stockmarketwire.com/article/6165253/Comcast-to-buy-remaining-Sky-shares-after-bid-gets-95pct-acceptance.html</ref>

==In Australia==

{{cquote|He's a big bad bastard, and the only way you can deal with him is to make sure he thinks you can be a big bad bastard too. You can do deals with him, without ever saying a deal is done. But the only thing he cares about is his business and the only language he respects is strength.|||Paul Keating, former [[Australian Labor Party]] PM<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/10/1183833462859.html "I'll teach you how to handle Murdoch: Keating"] ''Sydney Morning Herald'' (6/10/.07 6:16AM PST)</ref>}}

Murdoch owns a big slice of [[Australia]]n media and has immense influence. He has 76% of newspaper circulation; radio stations use his newspapers for talking points, and it all carries on from there. Murdoch also owns Australia's only cable TV provider, Foxtel, and makes ridiculous amounts of money from it as he owns the rights to all major shows/movies/networks. He will soon have much more than that: The [[Malcolm Turnbull|Turnbull]] government planned to remove the 2/3rds and 76% media limits.<ref>Clennell, Andrew, [http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/turnbull-media-ownership-limits-could-go/story-fni0cx12-1226849725076 "Turnbull: Media ownership limits could go"], ''Daily Telegraph'' (3/10/14 1:53pm PST).</ref>

Ironically, it was Paul Keating, a former Labor PM, who gave him the greenlight to buy up media. This is why Murdoch, despite being a conservative, always has praise for Keating, and why Keating never had to deal with an ultra-hostile Murdoch.<ref>Maccullum, Mungo, [https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2013/september/1377957600/mungo-maccallum/murdoch-s-war-labor "Murdoch’s war on Labor"], ''The Monthly'' (September 2013)</ref> You can't just use the mechanisms of Democracy to become leader without permission; you have to know your place. [[Julia Gillard|Gillard]] learned that.

He pushed as hard as he could to destabilize the Labor Party, which was a big factor behind their in-fighting (the polls nosedived based on right-wing fearmongering, and that gave a reason to change leaders). They wouldn't have freaked out if not for the [http://i.imgur.com/agfqhAp.jpg relentless fanning of flames] through Murdoch's domination of Australian media.<ref>McKnight, David, [http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/07/rupert-murdoch-australian-election-2013 "Rupert Murdoch and his influence on Australian political life"], ''The Guardian'' (8/7/13 00.52 EDT).</ref>

He's basically the most hated man in Australia.

===Technology insights from an octogenarian===

Labor decided to try rolling out the [[Liberal Party of Australia#No_Brains_Needed|National Broadband Network]] (fiber node), replacing the country's 80-year-old copper wiring. This didn't fly with Murdoch, as online streaming threatens his monopoly on cable. (No one in their right minds would pay for Foxtel if they had decent internet service.)<ref>Turner, Adam, [http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/computers/blog/gadgets-on-the-go/foxtel-play--internet-viewers-still-secondclass-citizens-20130731-2qytg "Foxtel Play - internet viewers still second-class citizens"] The Age 8.1.13.</ref> He offered to provide media clout, as well as huge piles of money, if the [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]] would stop the NBN from being completed, both by making it more expensive ''and'' keeping it slower, preventing the internet becoming the primary media distribution method.<ref>Dawson, Emma, [http://theconversation.com/news-corp-australia-vs-the-nbn-is-it-really-all-about-foxtel-16768 "News Corp Australia vs the NBN – is it really all about Foxtel?"], The Conversation (8/7/13 10:45pm EDT).</ref>

What ensued was a media barrage on the high costs of cord-cutting,<ref>Sheenan, Paul, [http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/murdochs-vicious-attacks-on-rudd-its-business-20130803-2r65x.html "Murdoch's vicious attacks on Rudd: it's business"], ''Sydney Morning Herald'' 8.4.13.</ref> brought to you by same conglomerate owned by, you guessed it, Rupert Murdoch: From stories about:

*[[asbestos]] in the pipes <big>(REALLY?? WHAT A SURPRISE WHEN YOU OPEN UP OLD PITS FROM THE 1950's)</big>
*how slow the rollout is
*referring to it as a "video entertainment system"<ref>McDonald, Stephanie, [http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/525840/his_own_words_tony_abbott_nbn/ "In his own words: Tony Abbott on the NBN"], Computer World (9/9/13 11:01).</ref>
*how costly it will be<ref>LeMay, Renal, [https://delimiter.com.au/2013/02/14/this-is-what-the-nbn-debate-has-come-to/ "This is what the NBN debate has come to"], Delimiter 2/14/13. '''News Ltd.''': “The 31 [coffee] machines are costing almost $4000 a month in beans and their maintenance has cost more than $10,000.” <sup>(Not ''[[The Onion]]'')</sup></ref>
*the "[[Fear, uncertainty, and doubt|people want wireless!]]" refrain

The Liberals passed as many motions and bills as they could to strangle the NBN in the crib,<ref>Chris Duckett for Null Pointer [http://www.zdnet.com/article/turnbulls-uk-nbn-template-turns-sour/#! "Turnbull's UK NBN template turns sour"], ZDNet (6/8/14 2013 07:22 GMT).</ref> turning what would have been a $15B deficit with a high rate of return into a $20B [[Cherrypicking|"surplus"]] and bragging rights for being such great managers for years to come. With the added bonus of taking an ambitious new public utility and using it as a money funnel for their corrupt mates in business. Foxtel is currently in partnership with Telstra to [[Privatization|open the network up to private bidding]] and carve up suburbs into their own fibre micro-monopolies, exactly what the NBN was designed to prevent.<ref>McLaren, Gary, [http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/11/6/information-technology/foxtel-and-nbn-%E2%80%93-threat-or-opportunity "Foxtel and the NBN – threat or opportunity?"], Business Spectator (11/6/14, 9:19 AM).</ref> Shades of American taxpayers funding billions of dollars for fibre infrastructure that wasn't delivered by the monopoly providers and still getting shit service.

Australia ended up paying 
$29
 100 billion<ref>Adhikari, Supratim, [http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2014/4/14/technology/telstras-nbn-payday-could-be-worth-100-billion "Telstra's NBN payday could be worth $100 billion"], Business Spectator (4.14.14, 11:07 AM). ''"[[Bullshit|Sooner! Better! Cheaper!]]"''</ref> to repair several decades-old copper phone lines, Labor shot themselves in the foot, and the conservatives went rabid and eventually voted in arguably [[Tony Abbott|the most detested PM in their history]].

==In China and Cuba==

Rupert Murdoch is a long time collector of Ming Dynasty porcelain; his father was also a war correspondent for [[China]] during the 30's. Rupert Murdoch met his third wife Wendi Deng working for his network Star TV as his translator. Star used to carry the [[BBC]], until Murdoch had a friendly chat with the BBC expressing his hope they would stop showing video of the [[Tiananmen Square Massacre]]. Shortly thereafter the BBC revealed they had an adamantium spine and soon were dropped due to an independent business decision that was never elaborated on and had nothing to do with the request. In 1996 he partnered with Liu Changle to create the Phoenix network for the select few urban citizens allowed to watch foreign programming. In the early 2000’s Newscorp controlled 9 of the 31 foreign channels.

After giving a speech in 1997 stating communications technology threatened totalitarian regimes everywhere, Prime Minister Li Peng than outlawed private ownership of satellite dishes. To make amends his book publisher HarperCollins published a biography of Deng Xiaoping written by Deng’s daughter, and ferried a troop of acrobats promoted by Deng’s eldest son. News Corp purchased Myspace in 2005 and brought it to China making it compatible with all communist censorship laws, as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo have also done, allowing patriotic users to report inappropriate information to the authorities.<ref> [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/27/business/worldbusiness/27myspace.html "Murdoch Is Taking MySpace to China"], by David Barbozaapril, April 27, 2007.</ref>

[[Fox News]] designed a website for state broadcaster CCTV, and a NewsCorp team launched the web site of the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, The People's Daily. Rupert Murdoch's networks relay more foreign broadcasting into China than any others.<ref> [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/world/asia/26murdoch.html "Murdoch’s Dealings in China: It’s Business, and It’s Personal"], Joseph KahnJune 26, 2007, ''New York Times''.</ref> Business Week discovered memos suggesting he killed a book deal with the last British Governor of Hong Kong because it was critical of communist leaders rather than flattering them over dinner and bestowing upon them gifts like Murdoch.

Although time travel and alternate history fiction are usually banned by the Chinese censors,<ref> [http://techland.time.com/2011/04/13/china-decides-to-ban-time-travel "China Decides to Ban Time Travel"], Erica Ho, ''TIME''.</ref> they seem to make an exception for the X-Men films of 20th century Fox.<ref> [http://time.com/117994/x-men-china-days-of-future-past-china/ "China Can't Get Enough of the New X-Men Movie"], ''TIME'', Per Liljas, May 26, 2014.</ref>

Rupert Murdoch also does business in the tax haven of [[Cuba]], where his treasure dwarfs anything buried by pirates. Someone inform [[Glenn Beck]] of the communist conspiracy involving his boss before it's too late!<ref> [http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a6491/rupert-mudoch-communist-business-ties-100609/ "The Communist Connection Glenn Beck Doesn't Want to Talk About"] ''Esquire'', John H. Richardson, Oct 6, 2009,</ref>

==Hello...''Newman.''==
Time Warner CEO Ted Turner has twice challenged Murdoch to a fistfight: Once when a Murdoch-sponsored yacht collided with his boat, sinking it; the other for supporting the [[Iraq War|invasion of Iraq.]]<ref>https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/ted-turner-wants-rupert-murdoch-step-down/337730/</ref>

==Conspiracies==
[[Conspiracy theorists]] (some even of the right) will often argue that Murdoch is [[Shill gambit|a front-man for the Zionists/Marxists/Illuminati]],<ref>Michael K., [http://dlisted.com/2015/02/03/lets-check-in-on-randy-and-evi-quaid/ Randy Quaid Spanks His Wife While She Wears a Mask of Rupert Murdoch's Face], Dlisted 2.3.15. ("This is probably the fever dream that David Lynch has after falling asleep while watching ''Christmas Vacation''.")</ref> using the media to indoctrinate us and act as a distraction from important issues. Credit where it's due: they're [[Stopped clock|quite correct on the second part.]]

Murdoch's outlets have also been accused of being "left-wing" (!) by [[White nationalism|white nationalist]] extremists, such as Sherman "[[The Great Aussie Patriot]]" Burgess, [[Neil Erikson]], [[Blair Cottrell]], and (more recently) [[Conservative_talk_radio#Mark_Levin|Mark Levin]], because their stance against radical Islam is not strong enough. You know you've embraced some [[Crusades|next-level racism]] when you accuse ''Murdoch'' of being a leftist.

==Jeffrey Epstein==
{{main|Jeffrey Epstein}}
Murdoch was listed in sex trafficker [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s "black book" of contacts,<ref>[https://epsteinsblackbook.com/all-names 1971 names] ''The Digital Epstein's Little Black Book''.</ref> exactly why is unknown.

==See also==
*[[Tony Blair]] — Holy shit. Blair's mistress was Wendi Deng Murdoch? And she's dating [[Vladimir Putin|Putin]]? Is there an Olympic medal for gold-digging?
*[[The Leveson Inquiry]] — Guess who's back as CEO? James Murdoch & Rebekah "King Charles lookalike" Brooks.<ref>Reguly, Eric, [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/european-business/rupert-murdoch-brings-rebekah-brooks-back-into-fold-as-news-uk-ceo/article26243942/ "Rebekah Brooks's return to the Murdoch fold was inevitable"], ''Globe and Mail'' (updated 9/7/15 at 10:51PM EDT).</ref><ref>[http://fortune.com/2016/01/29/james-murdoch-sky-chairman-phone-hacking/ "James Murdoch Is Back at Sky as Chairman"], ''[[Fortune]]'' via Reuters (1/29/16 at 5:32 AM EDT).</ref> They were neatly sidelined during all the palava, then once the fuss had quieted down, they stepped into new roles with, arguably, more power than they had before.
*[[William Kristol]] — After the fall of the Berlin wall, the Republicans were split between an isolationist wing and an aggressive, neoconservative wing. Murdoch wanted to steer the American right back towards Cold War-era politics, and in 1995 he launched ''Weekly Standard''. Kristol approached Murdoch seeking funding, but Murdoch took complete ownership and published it as a News Corp title.
*[[Roger Ailes]] — Murdoch West.
*[[The New York Times]], which Murdoch is opposed to.<ref>Sherman, Gabriel, [http://nymag.com/news/media/64305/ "The Raging Septuagenarian"], ''New York Magazine'' 2.8.10.</ref> Probably it sates his ego to think he'll be the one to finally kill it.

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWf63PIrZaE NBN Blunders and Rupert Murdoch] (on [[YouTube]]) - Not recommended for viewers with high blood-pressure.
*[http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4872546-1x1-940x940.jpg Really shows you the age of their target audience.]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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