E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSRupert Mudoch told British lawmakers he "failed" and repeatedly apologized about the phone hacking scandal at his tabloid newspaper The News of the World. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.
Updated at 8:05 a.m. ET: Rupert Murdoch on Thursday said he had spent "hundreds of millions of dollars" to clean-up the legal and ethical mess caused by phone-hacking at the now-shuttered News of the World tabloid.
"I pledged I would clean it up and I did. I have spent hundreds of millions of dollars … We had electronically examined 300 million emails … and anything that was faintly suspicious was passed to the police," he told a public inquiry into media ethics in Britain.
The News of the World was the top-selling Sunday tabloid that rocked the British establishment after evidence emerged of police corruption and too-cozy links between the press and politicians.
Murdoch admitted that he had failed to properly oversee the News of the World but deflected charges that he was aware that journalists there were involved with illegal and unethical activities.
"I also have to say that I failed," he said. "I'm guilty of not having paid enough attention to the News of the World probably throughout all the time that we've owned it."
Rupert Murdoch returned to the Leveson Inquiry to give evidence for a second day. ITV's Paul Davis reports.
Murdoch shuttered the 168-year-old tabloid as the scandal spread last year and News International has been hit with over 100 lawsuits over phone hacking and dozens of reporters and media executives have been arrested.
However, the 81-year-old media mogul said he was "misinformed and shielded" from illegal and unethical activity at the News of the World, and that others were to blame for hiding the extent of the scandal from top editors and executives.
"I think from within the News of the World, there were one or two very strong characters there who I think had been there many, many, many years and were friends of the journalists, or the person I'm thinking of was a friend of the journalists and a drinking pal and a clever lawyer, and forbade them ... this person forbade people to go and report to (Rebekah) Brooks or to James (Murdoch)."
Ben Stansall / AFP - Getty Images
Rupert Murdoch, his wife Wendi Deng and son Lachlan (left) leave their London home on Wednesday.
Brooks was chief executive of News International, the newspaper's publisher, editor of News of the World and a Murdoch favorite. Rupert Murdoch's son James, who stepped down this month as chairman of broadcaster BSkyB, appeared before the inquiry on Tuesday.
Rupert Murdoch grilled at UK phone-hack inquiry
During an exchange with a lawyer acting on behalf of the inquiry, Robert Jay, Murdoch admitted that he "panicked" when the Milly Dowler scandal broke. Revelations that News of the World journalists hacked into the missing 13-year-old's cellphone -- she was later found murdered -- provoked an enormous public outcry.
The media baron also said the scandals involving the newspaper had hurt his legacy.
"I think historically this whole business is a serious blot on my reputation," he said.
Not a puppet master?
On Wednesday, Murdoch denied charges that his media empire played puppet master to a succession of British prime ministers.
"I have never asked a prime minister for anything," he said during the hearings into media ethics in London on Wednesday.
The appearance before a judge by the world's most powerful media mogul has been a defining moment in a scandal that has laid bare collusion between ministers, police and Murdoch's News Corp., reigniting long-held concerns over the close ties between big money, the media and power in Britain.
U.S.-based News Corp.'s feet are being held to the fire at the hearings but it isn't the only challenge the company faces. There are three ongoing police investigations, dozens of people have been arrested. Eleven of those arrested could soon be facing criminal charges.
News Corp. is worth an estimated $60 billion and owns influential media companies including Fox Television and the Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, the British minister accused of giving Murdoch special access during the media tycoon's bid to increase his hold on Britain's television industry on Wednesday labeled accusations against him as "laughable."
Jeremy Hunt, the culture minister who was last year tasked with reviewing Murdoch's $12-billion plan to boost his stake in British pay TV operator BSkyB, is under immense pressure to resign after allegations emerged of his close contacts with News Corp.
While testifying before the Leveson inquiry on media ethics, the media mogul responded to allegations that he had abused his power to influence the British government. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.
On Tuesday, Murdoch's media executive son James said Hunt had given News Corp special treatment during talks surrounding the government's decision on whether to allow the TV deal to go ahead.
"The idea I was backing this bid is laughable," a visibly flustered Hunt told parliament to roars of approval from his own Conservative Party and jeers of derision from the opposition Labour party, which has led calls for him to be sacked.
The furor is the latest blow to Prime Minister David Cameron's government after a torrid month in which he has lurched from crisis to crisis, garnering an embarrassing slew of negative headlines and raising questions over his leadership.
Chiara Francavilla, NBC News in London, and Reuters contributed to this report.
More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Son of sacked Chinese official fights back
- Missing girl Madeleine McCann may be 'still alive', UK police say
- US and Philippines downplay China fears while staging 'routine' war games
- 3 arrested as Germany cracks down on neo-Nazi extremists
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
Leave a Comment:
I find it funny that MSNBC is really hyped over this story since they had to fire a produced for altering tapes on Treyvon ....talk about calling the kettle black lol!
Ever notice that people like Iowa always try to deflect by blaming others. This is a Republican trait and it works quite successfully. When something goes wrong, they simply blame the "other side" to justify what one of theirs does. It really is quite interesting and especially because our citizens just bob their heads and believe. We are not very deep thinkers.
Believe it's called "deflection" which works for awhile until people catch on to you and start making decisions on their own. Main reason I switched to voting Democrat years ago. I figured that if you, as an elected official were wasting your time on spin moves, deflections, and the like you were not spending much time solving problems or leading this nation. We need results not excuses.
The NBC producer was fired, and rightfully so
How many producers or on-air personalities has FOX fired for misleading audio & video edits, quoting out-of-context, misleading graphics, that kind of thing?
It's a false equivalency to compare other news organizations to FOX - other news organizations fire people for doing things that are common practice at FOX.
Rupert Murdoch is the King of Tabloid Newspapers (UFOs, Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, Elvis spotted in supermarket, etc). That's the foundation of his media empire and the source of the capital that allowed him to acquire FOX. There was never any question about his ethics or journalistic integrity.
Iowa, I too see and appreciate the irony.
Henry and BigRedJJJ, "deflection" would be changing or re-directing the subject. And, while I agree with both of you that a bad act cannot be excused by pointing to another bad act, I didn't read Iowa's post as excusing either act. Don't think too deeply.
Denver - he is changing the subject. Instead of talking about the story or the question of Murdoch's ethic's, he changed the subject to the fired NBC producer's ethics.
His comment was fallacious in several different ways: it's ignoratio elenchi, ad hominem, digressio, and most obviously tu quoque - he evens uses pot-kettle - can't get much more textbook than that.
The comparison of the two, itself, is false equivalence.
So, not the best example of good L & R by him.
Zen,
Everything you say is true if and only if he was drawing the comparison to justify Murdoch's behavior. I saw nothing in his post that suggests that to be the case.
Denver,
You are wrong, defllection is not to justify, but to draw attention away, which IS what Iowa did.
He's not justifying Murdoch, that's the point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_quoque
Logical fallacy - Tu Quoque. Exposing irrelevant faults in others argument does not remove the faults in yours.
Yes altered the tapes, hahaha
If deflection is a Republican trait Obama learned well from the Republicans. BTW, Murdoch is a liberal. He's just smart enough to know that Fox News will make him money. Note he didn't buy into MSNBC or CNN.
The scandal cost Murdoch millions of dollars?
Cry me a f---ing river.
Rupert Murdoch is the anti-Christ.
Yes this makes NBC credible they actually fire people for doing sht like that UNLIKE Fox news... and yes attempted deflection from Iowa , goes right along with the sociopathic nature of the right wing.
Typical Republican response. MSNBC altered tapes of Trayvon Martin more than a year BEFORE the crime happened? You DO know that the News of the World scandal has been going on for more than a year, in the media, and the investigation has been going on much longer? You do know that Martin was just killed in February? Its amazing that all these people who work directly for Murdoch are getting indicted by no one even suggests HE be indicted. With the amount of control over what his employees do, do we really think he was in the dark about all this? COME ON PEOPLE!!!!!!
FoxNews in the United States has been responsible for more damage to our political and social systems than any phenomenon in the nations history. Viewers of this station are constantly and intentionally misinformed. In fact, studies have shown Fox viewers are less likely to know much less about world and national events then people who NEVER WATCH NEWS!!!!
Now this AUSTRALIAN BILLIONAIRE designed all this for PROFIT!!! He could have made a straight news organization, but went the other way with it. Now he is only a tool (probably in more ways than one) of the Extremist Right. OMG People!!! When are you going to learn? Billionaires are on the side of Billionaires, NOT YOU!!!!
LMAO , Good God you people will say ANYTHING!
Chuck1968 -
ahahaha Yeah. It reminds me a bit of FOX putting (D) in the on-screen graphic overlay after the name of a Republican caught in a sex or corruption scandal (or taking a position counter to the orthodoxy).
Not even even close, just as slimy, but two totally different events, one being illegal.
Murdock is whinning about how much money he lost, but no mention how much he made in revenues from hacking people's voice mail, why is that.
Secondly, does anyone else find the irony in a group of 'investigative reports' all being caught totally off guard by this scandal. Either they are complete hacks, which seems likely, or they are lying, which seems more likely. Either way, it speaks volumes about the company.
Why is Piers Morgan sterilized from all the downfall, he was in charge at the time and has some how wiggled his way out of trouble. Worse, people actually think he isn't a hack who had to not only know about the hacking, surely had to give the thumbs up for payments.
Zen,
An argument (e.g. ad hominem, tu quoque, etc.) is made to persuade, or to dissuade. I found Iowa's post humorous. You found it disingenuous. We will have to agree to disagree about his/her motives for the post.
He is as guilty as his subordinates, As the "Owner"/ Director / CEO/ President, etc... you are responsible for any and all activities of your company.
Denver -
1) His comment wasn't an attempt at humor, even though he used the word 'funny'.
2) All rhetoric - in this case, comments on a news story - falls generally into 3 categories of purpose: persuasive, informative, and motivational.
3) If you think that his comment was neutral and only intended to be humorous, then scroll through his past comments. He is clearly not neutral, dispassionate or without partisan/ideological bias.
He is clearly conservative, and the comment is clearly political rhetoric.
4) To repeat - the comment wasn't humorous nor was it intended to be - although it did contain the word 'funny'.
Yea, and my neighbor cheating on his tax return justifies everything Murdoch says and does.
We should cry for poor little Robby... having to clean up his mess and all.
What bull@!$%#. If he was the slightest bit interested in ethics or truth he would clean up his filthy act here in the U.S.
The statement I find the most ludicrus is he is worried this case is a "blot" on his legacy. Are you KIDDING me????? He doesn't need help in that area. His US station spews lies and distortions EVERY day and there is never any kind of correction or even an attempt to verify what is said. Of course Limburger is no longer on TV, but I listened to his latest rant about Sandra Fluke. It was packed full of total lies. Eventually trying to tie her into a conspiracy with the Obama admin regarding the student loan issue. The Faux channel is full of people just like Limburger and they do nothing about it. Did anyone hear Hannity the other day say there is no hunger in the US? That poor people can make a big pot of beans and get by just fine? He honestly said this.
Told them maybe. Ordered them around definitely.
Zen,
Thank you for the concise and accurate recounting of the real issues, that Denver just doesn't seem to get. He may be in his room sulking now, hopefully he can use the time to reflect on logical fallacies and poor attempts at humor
Agreed. These are the same folks who swear Fox News is fair and balanced reporting.
He sounds like the late Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and Jeff Skilling of Eron fame; "my failure was in entrusting other people." A real take responsibility type of guy. Basically, the buck stops anywhere but here.
Corruption is a pervasive condition. It begins with an attitude from the top, and unlike wealth and prosperity , it does finds a way to trickle down.
These self-serving statements have zero credibility.
I have wondered for years how so many private matters have been divulged about Democrats. I figured it was Carl Rove. Now we know that Murdoch has been bugging and hacking phones all over the world for years. The fact that the FBI can't catch him here is a poor reflection on our own government.
All media outlets owned or controlled by Rupert Murdoch and family SHOULD be thoroughly investigated
Murdochs defense? .... "lazy journalism"
Really????
Who does he think he is kidding other thsn FAUX fans
John
I agree with you about corruption starting at the top and working its way down. The problem is those at the top have a means to defend themselves and those at the bottom do not.
Wow I am sooooo surprise! Lol Faux news and listeners are full of corruption and fake journalism, take this pig and his media off the air. I am so tired of them race baiting, and reporting lies. I guess O'Billy can start doing hemorrhoid commercials now. Buahhhhhh
Only, bad thing that will come out of this is the faux news fans will be visiting MSNBC more, and leaving their stupid comments!
Too late they're hear already dang get the roach spray out someone!
He should have thought about it earlier, when his top staff was doing all kinds of questionable things.
This man truly is delusional. This will be a blot on his legacy? That's like Stalin saying that people will only remember that he drank too much.
Rupert Murdoch's legacy will be a blot. A large, pulsating, oozing, puss-filled lesion of a blot on the legacy of human kind. He's already less popular then jock-itch, if you don't count the guys with swirls in their eyes from watching too much Fox Propaganda. When he dies, the vast majority of the world will throw a party, and try to forget the international political disaster he left behind.
Rush LimpBow will be right behind him.
MILLIONS???
SO WHAT read onnnnn
MURDOCK shut the SUN paper down because after MURDOCK could not HACK phones and payoff the police Murdock HAD NO NEWS TO PRINT!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/02/britain-phone-hacking-bribes-news-corp-charlotte-church.html
I don't believe you Rupert.
The damage caused by FOX News lies has cost us billions of dollars and decades in lost time. Him spending 100 million to keep from going to jail is meaningless. It's not enough.
He is as guilty as his subordinates, As the "Owner"/ Director / CEO/ President, etc... you are responsible for any and all activities of your company.
Yeah Rupert, you old Nazi you, it's all about the money. Money, money, money. Forget credibility or ethics or honesty or humanity, it's all about the money.
Oh geeze, give me a break...
"NO!! Not my precious money"
These more to life than money....like being ethical.
LMarc,
Let's talk Trillions, not Billions.
Keep in mind, FOX was all about supporting the Bush administration, and deferring blame for the falsefied intellegence information that allowed Bush to deflect attention from Afghanistan to Iraq. There were 4500 US servicemembers lost in Iraq along with thousands of contractors, not to mention half a million Iraqis.
It wouldn't surprise me that Mr Murdoch didn't CARE about the hacking since it was making him money. If the staff had been pocketing even $1 of his money, you can bet he'd be ALL over it like a fly to SH!T.
To bad it didn't cost him hundreds of millions of dollars and his freedom. He is nothing more than a POS Aussie neo nazi propagandist.
I live in Denton County, Texas. Unfortunately Ive seen the same level of corruption. Everyone acknowledges the corruption but no one will take a stand
Devil
Right-O
And you wonder why there is no respect for these over rated, over paid C-Level clowns. "I'm guilty of not paying enough attention to World News" is laughable. What exactly IS your job Rupert as a leader? What is your responsibility that justifies your existance? I suppose since you admit your own lack of responsibility and level of performance it would be okay for every one of your employees to operate at the same level?
Anyone who listens to or reads anything owned by Rupert Murdoch INCLUDING ALL OF YOU FOX NEWS JUNKIES needs serious help. If you haven't figured it out yet...this isn't news....it's spin marketing. How does it feel to live a life that you need to be fed and supported by a biased news agency that promotes a group think environment on how to think and feel? Your buying tripe. Please wake up out there..don't be the last one to understand the basic fact "just because you heard it on the "news" DOES NOT make it true.
Wouldn't go that far, seeing that Fox owns stuff like IGN as well, but Faux News is DEFINITELY full of lies. If you work there and you want to tell the truth, your program either gets shut down or moved to a sub-channel that few people watch.
You guys are right. FOX News is awful. But, ignoring the obvious ethics issue for a moment, I note that this so-called article by MSNBC has this little bit of professional writing, too:
"However, the 81-year-old media mogul said Murdoch said he was..."
What? Where are all of the real writers and editors? Not here on the internet, not in Murdoch's publications, and certainly not in my local newspaper. The readers' comments above demonstrate a higher level of grammar, syntax and spelling prowess than the purported professional prose, and we continue to cringe through it on a daily basis.
I digress with a meaningless appeal to journalistic literacy, but I just felt like complaining when all we seem to get from media in the U.S. is endless propaganda, without the benefit of a simple proofread before publication. I mostly read these stories for the amusing comments. Thanks, and keep up the good work.
Tom, you are right to ask "where are the writers and editors?" Because you get your news for free off the internet and no longer watch the news, or buy you local paper, they are laying off the editors and the experienced reporters left and right, leaving a handful of young -- or seriously old and should have retired already -- reporters and editors to do the work that used to have two and three times the staff. this is what happens when you quit paying for quality.
That aside, I wish I could get those who watch Fox and buy into Murdoch's brand of journalism how they are being played and used by an Australian who got US citizenship for no other reason than to buy Fox News, News Corp,, and a few key print outlets for no other reason than to increase his bottom line. He does not care about conservative issues that you do, he cares about getting Republicans into office that will keep allowing him to build his own media empire and destroy the laws that were designed to keep foreign influences out of our country.
I hope they bend him over and shove it up his ass. Then take that Dragon Lady wife of his and put her in jail. Let's see if she will try slapping anyone in there! Rupert Murdoch and his family are a pox on this earth. It is nice to see all those politicians (both sides of the fence) trying to run and hide. Everyone of them are a lick spittle to Rupert.
The Murdochs and cohorts are despicable. Unfortunately, it's only cost them millions. It should cost them everything they have plus a nice long jail term. Will never happen though. When all is said and done, we'll see once again that there's a different law for rich and poor, no matter where.
Yep, had he paid more attention they would never have been caught (is what was going through his evil pea brain).
His face should be on TIME magazine's cover as the "Man of the Year" due to his massive influence on world affairs. He has single-handedly put this country, and the world along with it, in a decades-long stupor. When lies, rancor, misinformation, and reverse logic are coordinated in a 24/7 all media barrage on the American people, truth, progress, and recovery don't have a prayer.
As long as we let his unreasonable fear drive the day, we will be lost.
I think the most laughable statement in the story was his concern this issue would be a "blot" on his legacy. In fact it follows exactly the type of legacy he will have once he is gone. His US station spews lies and distortions and never corrects. I know Limburger is no longer on TV, but anyone see his last rant about Sandra Fluke? Now he says she is in a conspiracy with the Obama Admin regarding the student loans. He used to do this all the time when on tv and they never once corrected or admonished him. It continues with current Faux channel personalaties. Anyone see Hannity this week say there is no hunger in the US and that poor people could just make a big pot of beans and get by just fine???
Has anyone done the research on how Hitler came to power?
Murdock is using the same type of mis-information tactics, making Americans and Brittons see problems were there aren't any. Deflecting World attention away from the Profiteering, Greedy and influential few.
It is truly astounding how far FOX and other Murdoch owned media have gone to push his agenda on us. I am now an Independent, having steered away from the new ultra-conservative direction of the GOP, since the early 1990s. Truthfully, I left the party when Bush Senior was elected.
WHAT DID ANYONE EXPECT FROM GEORGE W? His dad at least has some political Saavy. He promised "No new taxes", but when the "Trickle-Down" didn't work, he at least admitted it and EQUALIZED TAXES on the wealthy.
I've said it before and I will say it again, Voodoo/Trickle-Down/Supply-Side economics CAN'T WORK!!!
Daft, mentally strange, batty, idiotic, touched in the head, unbalanced, unhinged - there are not enough descriptors in the English language to define this demon.
Someone noted earlier they were disappointed that the FBI hadn't made him a person of interest yet. Similarly curious is the fact that it took him all of 15 minutes, in the eighties, to get his American citizenship.
This is a bad man. Now he says should have closed News of the World "years before" the phone-hacking revelations. Tapping the phone of a 13 year old who was later found dead? REALLY!
You have another chance to do the RIGHT THING. SHUT DOWN FOX or CHANGE THEIR MANDATE! !diots like the M Kelly thing (man or woman it might be), Palin, Ailes, that inbred Hannity AND ABOVE ALL - send O REEEEEAAAAAALLLY HOME!
The only time that Organisation has done the right thing was when they abbreviated glenn beck. … and how did that happen?:
The Prince contacted the CEO of NewsCorp, Rupert Murdoch and told him the following (From: The Guardian U.K., December 12, 2005):
The rest, as they like to say, is history. When a star leaves a network or program due to a non-renewal of a contract or failure to reach an understanding on a new one, it is usually painted over as a mutually agreed upon separation with flowery language like 'Mr. beck will continue to work with the company on special projects and was a valued member of the team,' etc.
Fox audience is either too mentally challenged or to prejudicial to know the machinations behind the scenes. They are quite content to get through the world as long as you feed them a regular diet of 'facts', 'pin head' 'american people' - kindly stop saying that. We are all not that stupid.
Thus as the good prince went about his daily business, other wealthy associates probably asked him to pressure his friend Rupert Murdoch to eliminate the problem of glenn beck's contract and First Amendment rights. The nice thing about beck is he is a nincompoop of uncomparable retardation.
his ego being astronaumical leaves few if any allies with enough power to prevent an onslaught should the winds change.
You are in the autumn of your life. ALL YOUR LIFE YOU HAVE DONE BAD THINGS. Get right before you have to go!!!!
There's been a change in the winds. The world is waking up to people like you - Much of German business and political establishment closed ranks to prevent you from acquiring Kirch Group, which is near collapse. The Germans figured you. Speaks volumes if they'd rather have it collapse then sell it to you.
Quietly optimistic this is the swan song of your business career.
This man should be charged with crimes against humanity because of Fox news. Populated by presenters that could never pass an SAT, Oreeeeaaaally, M. Kelly, Hannity, that foolish foolish foolish presenter from Britain that ought to know better and the so called 'contributors' - Palin, former bush white house sec. too many to mention them all.
Crimes against humanity because the aforementioned buffoons pander to the
lowest common denominators of society triggering situations like Gabby Gifford. You lie and they 'decide'.
There seems to be justification for sending convicts to a penal colony now
known as Australia back in the older centuries.
There wasn't a plan though to manage what offspring might arise. Clearly, you didn't fall far from the
tree.
this man is influencing the republican voters over here via Fox News which he needs to start watching better too. But who will care. Definitely not that audience. They like what they spew. I wish Rupert would fire them if they are not truthful or too inflammatory. Hannity and Ducey now and Oreilly get by with more stuff. On other channels they would have been fired long ago. What is wrong with telling truth. It is one of the 10 Commandments after all. The reason they hate MSNBC over there is that the replay what they say.
In the modern age of communications, truth resides in the mind and mouth of the messenger. Limbaugh has been spouting jaded information for over two decades with no accountability, so why not Murdoch and his minions? We probably should be more concerned about the lemmings who believe the tripe being offered than the propaganda merchants who sell it on a daily basis.
Well, if he has really spent hundreds of millions on this, I'd like to see the receipts, I'm sure he saved them for tax purposes.
Denver Bill, you don't read well enough, Iowa was deflecting, must have come right out of his evengelical church and did what his pastor told him to do.
Sadly it's a tactic that's working... I'm so tired of soooo many of my (sometimes good, and I thought well-educated) Facebook friends reposting these right-wing propoganda graphics that are based in bullsh*t, offer no informed solutions, and are designed for one thing and one thing only: To prey on people's fears so they stay ignorant of the real issues screwing up their lives. It's an underhanded tactic to scare up votes and it works!
GOP... Strength through Fear.
Murdoch knows darn good and well whats going on with his companies. Bottom line ids, the reason he gets paid so much is because he is RESPONSIBLE for what goes on there. If he didnt know (yeah sure) then too bad , guess he should have done his job.
time for your orange jumpsuit Rupert.
Chuck, I very much agree with you. Murdoch knows all that goes on especially when it impacts his bottom line. Does anyone think he has no clue as to the ratings here in the US of his network programs? He plans and adjusts his programming to boost his ratings for profits. I sure hope that he gets his just here in the U.S. This foreigner has managed to manipulate government policy, agenda and public view using sensationalism for profit. Genuine journalism is the reporting of facts to convey information to the public so people can form their own conclusions. FOX and the likes do not convey facts they convey conjecture pure and simple. One needs only to consider the verbage and ideology put forth by politicians versus Murdoch's various mouth pieces. No wonder why certain politicians will only go on Murdoch's networks because they can't and don't hold up to the scrutiny of others. A politician who is a lone FOX guest is a candidate for pink slip in November.
So when do they put Soros on the hot seat?
Probably when he commits a crime in England. Are you withholding evidence of a crime that the rest of us don't know about?
Deflecting again! If all else fails bring up Soros. That will get your bobble head, single tooth, backward, redneck, hick, white voter riled up. Oops, I am deflecting now. Sorry.
That's like the "angel of death" Josef Menegel asking when they are going to put Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon on the hot seat ............spin and deflect much JohnSmith?
Henry <--- contemporary racist
That's Josef Mengele, not Menegel. You lefties never could spell and you sure don't know much about history.
All the while here in the US Fox news is out of control. Unless the sole purpose is to hammer the President everyday, all day, with lies and distortion. Can anybody trust this news source? I won't.
Why call Fox a news source? It isn't so why dignify it with the title. It is a tabloid organization.
Republicans need something to watch too while they play make-believe that they are real people.
In his mind, his only failure was in getting caught!!
Gotta disagree there. Sociopaths are never to blame. Its always someone elses fault even when it can be proven otherwise.
Watch the right wing , its what they specialize in , blaming others for their illegal or immoral actions and the results.
Its why we've heard since before Obama took office that he was to blame for the credit crisis.
I hope they hang the old bas**rd.
That won't happen, but a heart attack might do the trick just as well...
Can you say smack on the hand. With all of his money he and his son will get off light. This is a farce and nothing meaningful will come out of it.
Murdoch should look at the bright side ~ his admission of wrongdoing will endear him to millions of Republicans and probably boost FoxNews sagging ratings. Democrats have had their charlatans too, but they seem to lack the sophistication and professional level of skullduggery possessed by conservative actors.
There are some lines Dems wont cross. There is no road too low for Republicans to take . obvious lying and deceit isnt sophistication , its pandering to morons.
Let me get out my tiny violin for old man Murdoch. Poor baby.
#ixzz1t7RoG81j
Off topic, but I thought I'd post an article that you may have missed on this site. Unfortunately racism is a problem throughout all races. Hopefully, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton can assist in bringing attention to this case to help bring this problem to the forefront of the American people!
Why don't I believe Murdoch?
I have no sympathy for Murdoch he is a mud slinging lying POS and deserves everything he gets- but we need FOX to survive their sports is great
Not to mention IGN, 20th Century Fox, etc.
The best solution is to give them new management. Murdoch & co. need to be FIRED.
@ odb2, #16 and SPARTAN-501, #16.1
Fox needed for sports ... ?!!! Not even! With the closure of Fox and all of its associated works, other channels will pick up sports and other industries will take on Fox's other assets.
Ban anything and everything remotely associated with News Corp.!
Rupert Murdock said:
Charley Manson (could have) said:
Listen Murdock: We know what you are up to and what you are guilty of. You are directly responsible for all the misdeeds of your Norsefire-esque global empire. So, save your whining over how much money you have spent to conceal the truth. We don't want your money. We want justice.
The media baron also said the scandals involving the newspaper had hurt his legacy.
"I think historically this whole business is a serious blot on my reputation," he said.
No, not at all, Rupert. It pretty much just reinforces what most intelligent people have thought of you all along!
Poor Rupert! It cost him "hundreds of millions" of dollars to clean up the mess he created.
I have been watching fox (news?) many years. Why do they get away with portraying themselves as a "news orginization", while claiming others are "entertainment" channels? BTW: ever notice some of the subtleties like; they generally refer to the president as "obama" and bush as "president bush" and gingritch as "mr. speaker" and many other similar subtleties?
If you are watching Fox news for news, then why are you still watching it? If you watch Fox news for a good belly laugh, ok then.
I let Jon Stewart watch Fox News for me. Periodically he shows me the "highlights"
I'm right with you mudtech. The only time I can watch Fox now is when the Daily Show runs a clip. Fox sure provides them with plenty of material.
Hey rupert said he was wrong. He's not going to jail so get over it you crybabys. MSN = Made up Sharty News
Someone give him a hankie so he can wipe his nose. That is the price of doing business, Rupert :) - you are going to deduct it as business loss on your tax return, and still make some $$$. Life is a female dog, isn't it?
Glad to see Murdoch coming clean a little bit in his old age. Now let's see him clean up Fox News, his propagandist network in the US. That garbage station has spread more disinformation than any tabloid ever has.
I disagree with your first sentence. I strongly agree with your last sentence.
Forget about him cleaning up Faux News. Just shut it down, for Christ's sake.
Shut it down how? Is that really a power you want the government to have? Even if you disagree with their style or content.
"Shut it down how? Is that really a power you want the government to have? Even if you disagree with their style or content."
Style and content that is usually based on or having to do in some way with lies? Yes, because in this case it's worse than not having fox news at all. At least if it did shut down people might try to find news somewhere else. Maybe a news channel that isnt bought off or controlled by mostly one party and/or power.
jr,
Are you for real??? Allowing a venue that is not accountable for any BS they want to sling out there?
There needs to be SOME sort of accountability placed on information stations, even if they are NOT truly a News Station. FOX News stopped referring to themselves as a News station a long time ago, because they know Damn well what they are doing. Even if their logo still states "Fox News".
If you choose to continue to put any stock in what they say, more power to you. But, if they are outright lying to you, wouldn't you want to have at least some proof, if they are challenged on what they are broadcasting? At least "Entertainment Tonight" tells you what they are all about.
It continues to amaze me how extremely wealthy individuals paint themselves as victims and do not want to take real responsibility. If Mr. Murdoch did not know what his underlings were doing, isn't he still responsible since he owns the papers in question? His comments open the door to more questions, especially how wide spread were these hacking actions? Were his people, involved with these outside of the UK i.e. the US?
So is he angry that his screw up cost him all this money or that he got caught and his screw up cost him money? I think it's the latter.
Unethical? fear-mongoring? blatant bias? scandal-ridden? pitching to the lowest common denominator?....wait,are we talking about News of the World or FOX News?....How funny that this dillusional old man is worried about his "legacy".That ship sailed along time ago. Go watch "Citizen Cane" Murdoch,that'll show you what your legacy will be.