Adbusters and Murdoch

From alternative media magazine adbusters:

The Resistible Rise of Rupert Murdoch
From Adbusters #73, Aug-Sep 2007

Ever since he burst into Britain four decades ago by snapping the country’s largest newspaper out from underneath his competitors, Rupert Murdoch has come to secure a firm and powerful grip around the throat of the United Kingdom’s media. The Australian-born, self-described “billionaire tyrant” now controls nearly 40 percent of the national press, owns one of the world’s biggest book publishers, and has monopoly control over the country’s satellite television service.

But as Murdoch continues to exploit his power to exert political and personal influence, his growing hold on the media has become increasingly controversial and unpopular with the UK public. When Murdoch’s BSkyB television service recently swooped in to acquire a sizable stake of ITV, the largest free-to-air commercial television channel in the nation, media activists, regulatory bodies and even the government are all saying the “Dirty Digger” has gone too far.

Murdoch is known as an extremely hands-on proprietor, choosing editors who follow his orders and political dictates. “Every media property Murdoch has owned has been put to his political purposes,” said Ben Bagdikian, author of The Media Monopoly, “as is demonstrated by how he uses the Fox networks to project right-wing politics into news and commentary and to cheapen the national culture.” The same is true of his UK newspapers."

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