Barrels Of Ink Far Less Scary

Michael Hedges October 29, 2020 Follow on Twitter

"Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel," goes the adage warning of the perils awaiting those engaging publishers. Much has changed since US humorist Mark Twain published those words over a hundred years ago. Obviously, ink by the barrel has been replaced by pixels by the terabyte. The point, though, still stands. Politicians, in particular, have been hesitant taking on big publishers, to the point of twisting themselves to keep them happy. This is changing, too.

Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd (Labor) initiated a petition earlier this month for a Royal Commission inquiry into media ownership and bias, “in particular by the Murdoch media.” That would be News Corporation Australia, publisher of The Australian, Sydney Daily Telegraph and Melbourne Herald Sun and others as well as Sky News and several radio stations. The Murdoch family is the principal owner.

Mr. Rudd has taken shots, sometimes long, for years. Rupert Murdoch is the "greatest cancer on the Australian democracy,” quoted by stuff.co.nz (August 27, 2018). "In Britain, Murdoch made Brexit possible because of the position taken by his papers. In the United States, Murdoch's Fox News is the political echo chamber of the far-right which enabled the Tea Party and then the Trump party to stage a hostile take-over of the Republican Party. In Australia, as in America, Murdoch has campaigned for decades in support of tax cuts for the wealthy, killing action on climate change and destroying anything approximating multiculturalism."

“News Corp is no longer interested in reporting facts,” wrote Mr. Rudd, making his pitch in Crikey (October 21). “It operates like a mafia syndicate with a well-funded protection racket for politicians who back its commercial interests and espouse hard-right ideology on issues like climate change. Hence, the need for a royal commission.” Mr. Rudd was Australia’s PM from December 2007 until June 2010, then for three months in 2013. The petition has gained nearly 400,000 signatures, reported news portal Crikey (October 28).

Another former Australian prime minister - Malcolm Turnbull (Liberal) - recently added his signature - via social media - on (October 25). “Kevin has done well to get this petition going. I doubt it will result in a Royal Commission and Murdoch’s print monopoly (since 1987) is only part of the problem. But I have signed it and encourage others to do so.”

Last April Mr. Turnbull expressed complaints about the power held by family scion Rupert Murdoch over Australia’s political landscape. He referred to News Corp Australia as "the largest endorser of climate denialism in the world,” quoted by public broadcaster ABC (April 25). "I think if Lachlan Murdoch decided to become a greenie overnight, the Coalition would switch instantly. They'd turn on a dime.” Mr. Turnbull had just released a memoir - A Bigger Picture.

News UK publishes The Times and tabloid The Sun and owns radio channels. Rumors abound that the company is preparing for a TV channel similar to the US Fox News. Earlier this month protestors blockaded News UK printing plants over “failing to report on climate change,” noted the BBC (October 5).

The US operation is far more robust in terms of reach with the infamous Fox News cable TV channel, tabloid New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and the Dow Jones news agency. Estranged son James Murdoch recently took his shot, via the New York Times (October 13). “At great news organizations, the mission really should be to introduce fact to disperse doubt, not to sow doubt, to obscure fact, if you will."

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• Hot Topics - News Corp/Rupert Murdoch