The anonymous News Limited spokesman quoted by the ABC as refuting allegations by Ita Buttrose that Rupert Murdoch wanted her to have a person followed as part of an investigation for a story in the Sydney Tele is a cagey fellow, writes Richard Farmer.
Rupert Murdoch
Do the Murdochs have more wealth outside News Corp?
When News Corp shares hit a low of $13.32 on August 9, the overall market capitalisation bottomed at $34.1 billion and the Murdoch family’s 12.65% stake was down below $4.5 billion.
Elisabeth Murdoch’s coffers swell by $214m. Thanks, dad
No wonder some shareholders in News Corp are horrified at the largesse and help being extended to family members by Rupert Murdoch.
Latham’s Henderson Watch V: Murdoch sympathiser, chancellor of the check-checker
Gerard Henderson’s right-wing salon, The Sydney Institute, is riddled with conflicts of interest, writes former Labor leader Mark Latham.
The News Corp coverup
Dubbed the smoking gun, a letter from Clive Goodman, former royal reporter at News of the World, has put the upper realms of the Murdoch empire sharply under the spotlight regarding their involvement and knowledge of the phone hacking scandal.
Rupert era effectively over … new Murdoch leader most unlikely
It would not have been possible for editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks to have both been doing their job, and to have been in ignorance about hacking and blagging.
Mayne: how News Ltd could head off a media inquiry
One of the fascinating things about watching News Corp is to observe how the different parts of the empire cover Rupert Murdoch and his family’s commercial interests.
Rupert hangs up on 4 Corners and all his own business journos
As the world’s largest employer of journalists, Rupert Murdoch sure doesn’t like to answer their questions.
Mayne: News Corp board leaks as Rupert prepares to front analysts
The News Corp board met for more than 10 hours over the past two days in Los Angeles in what was the first opportunity for a face-to-face discussion about the hacking scandal and governance crisis that has engulfed the company.
Media briefs: Frankie for blokes … Murdoch’s mafia … defending MasterChef split …
Frankie for blokes? Hipsters’ wildly-successful magazine of choice is expanding, with Gold Coast-based publisher Morrison Media to launch a new male-skewed title. Plus other media news of the day.
O’Neill: if you don’t like Murdoch dominance of Australian media, you could always inherit your own newspaper
The absurdity of Brendan O’Neill’s poor-me whinge about being oppressed on Q&A can be summed up by his response to criticism of News Corporation’s excessive power and influence over government, writes Jeremy Sear.
Mayne: Murdoch only champions free speech away from home
It has been a full month since the Murdoch phone hacking scandal blew up and, after more than 30 contributions across various media platforms, Stephen Mayne finally got a rise out of the empire today.
What if a newspaper died and nobody cared?
So commodified is the news business that from a consumers’ perspective, a closed newspaper is more like a brand of chewing gum that’s disappeared, to be easily substituted for another brand, writes Jonathon Oake, of blog The Spongeist.
Political snippets: New house sales on the wane
The almost daily predictions of an interest rate rise seems to be having an impact on sales of new houses.
Media briefs: Julia’s cookie crumbles …. The Nation’s Rupert ad …
Yes, it’s come to this. Julia Gillard’s popularity is now at such a low level that even Sesame Street favourite, the humble Cookie Monster, is out polling her. Plus other media news.
Crikey Says: Crikey says: beyond their comprehension
There’s a lot that’s beyond the comprehension of former News International CEO and News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks.
Blair, Murdoch and the Iraq war — a study of power
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s first comments about Murdoch yesterday were quite pathetic. If David Cameron is being subjected to enormous scrutiny over his dealings with Murdoch then so should Blair, Gordon Brown and John Major.
The 100 most powerful people in the media
It’s time for The Guardian’s annual list of the 100 most powerful and influential people in the media, with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg taking the number one spot from Steve Jobes.
The end of emperor Murdoch
The cast of characters embroiled in the News of the World phone hacking scandal is long — from PM David Cameron to a murdered 13-year-old school girl. But it’s the role of CEO Rupert Murdoch that’s the most damning…
Privacy Eye: balancing free speech against wrongful invasion
Sooner or later there will be a tort of privacy in Australia and the media might as well get used to the idea, writes Dr Denis Muller, who teaches media ethics at Swinburne University.
Miliband, Gillard and the moral posturing ties that bind
In essense, this Ed Miliband/Julia Gillard brand of moral posturing is a substitute for real political vision, writes Brendan O’Neill, editor of Spiked Online.
Do ACCC doubts mark the end of media concentration in Australia?
Has the ACCC signalled an end to media concentration in Australia by raising significant doubts about the $2 billion takeover bid from Foxtel for regional Pay TV group, Austar?
Privacy Eye: media shouldn’t fear debate on privacy laws
The federal government’s decision to initiate a debate on privacy laws has provoked some typically premature condemnation from some sections of the media, writes Michael Smith, former editor of The Age.
Good week for journalism? There’s good news and bad news
I thought I’d riff a little on the question of whether this has been a good or bad week for journalism.
News Corp scandal: a handy guide to the week that was
In an attempt to help you — and us — get our brains around this mess, here’s a breakdown of the week that was for News of the World, in more or less chronological order:
