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Subscribe to RSSSenior British judge Brian Leveson is set to release the findings of his yearlong inquiry into phone-hacking and media ethics by newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch and others.
Updated at 8:15 a.m. ET: LONDON — The chairman of the Senate commerce committee signaled he will be paying close attention to the findings of a U.K. report into phone-hacking and media ethics by newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch and others, amid concern U.S. laws may have been broken.
Senator Jay Rockefeller called on investigators in the U.K. to hold media companies accountable for their "deplorable conduct," ahead of the release of a report by the year-long Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the press Thursday.
It is expected to be "excoriating" about the wrongdoing of journalists.
Numerous celebrities — including actor Hugh Grant and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling — told the inquiry how they had been harassed, bullied, and traumatized by the press.
But ordinary people, such as Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old girl who was abducted and murdered in 2002, were also subjected to invasion of privacy in the most shocking of circumstances.
It emerged that while she was missing, employees of Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid hacked into her telephone. Outrage over this case prompted Murdoch to shut down the tabloid and led U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron to commission the Leveson Inquiry.
Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images, file
Rupert Murdoch is driven from The Royal Courts of Justice after giving evidence to The Leveson Inquiry on April 26.
Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, who was later hired as Cameron's chief media adviser, and Rebekah Brooks, the former CEO of News Corporation’s U.K. arm News International, appeared in court Thursday to face charges related to allegations of corrupt payments made to public officials, ITV News reported. They were later released on bail.
This probe has raised the specter of possible charges in the U.S. under the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, whose anti-bribery provisions could ensnare executives if it is proved that payoffs were made to people such as British police officers.
'Deeply concerned'
Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, said in an emailed statement sent to NBC News that he feared that illegal journalistic practices may have been used on U.S. citizens.
He said he hoped Leveson’s report and other investigations would "continue to clear the air" and hold the media organizations involved “accountable for their deplorable conduct.”
"While I understand that the main goal of this report is to make policy recommendations, the core of the inquiry remains the illegal and unethical practices of newspapers owned by the News Corporation," Rockefeller said.
"I remain deeply concerned that these companies may have violated U.S. laws and injured U.S. citizens," he added.
Judgment day looms for Rupert Murdoch, Piers Morgan and UK press
The Leveson report could have implications for CNN’s Piers Morgan, who was previously editor of the News of the World and the Mirror newspapers.
In a 2006 article in the Daily Mail tabloid, Morgan said he was played a message left by former Beatle Paul McCartney on the phone of his then wife Heather Mills. Mills has said there's no way Morgan could have obtained the message honestly.
At the Leveson Inquiry, Morgan refused to reveal how he was able to listen to the message, saying this would compromise a source.
Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images, file
CNN host Piers Morgan arrives at the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in West Hollywood, California, in February. He previously was editor of two tabloid newspapers in the U.K.
There have been calls from several victims of press intrusion for the government to regulate the media, an idea some have likened to state censorship in countries like China.
Fear for free speech
After retired teacher Christopher Jefferies, 67, of Bristol, was wrongly arrested for the murder of a young woman renting an apartment he owned, his character was picked over and savaged in the press and he later won substantial damages for defamation from eight newspapers.
He told ITV News that the government had to introduce some form of statutory regulation of the press.
UK PM's ex-aide, Murdoch protege face charges in phone-hacking scandal
"I'm sure that I and many other people will continue to feel extremely angry unless the sort of action which I have been suggesting needs to be taken, is taken," he said.
However, more than 80 politicians from all three main parties in the U.K. signed a letter published in the Guardian and Telegraph newspapers warning Cameron against state control of the media.
"We believe in free speech and are opposed to the imposition of any form of statutory control," they wrote.
Former UK PM accuses Murdoch of misleading inquiry into phone-hack scandal
Former News of the World journalist Tom Latham told ITV News that newspapers were already not running stories in the public interest in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry.
"If you cede anything to the government it's a slippery slope and then you start to lose control of the freedom of the press,” he said.
Prosecutors have filed criminal charges against former News of the World editor Andy Coulson and former News International executive Rebekah Brooks for their alleged involvement in Britain's phone-hacking scandal. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports from London.
But, given the paper’s history, Leveson may be more sympathetic to the complaints of people like Hugh Grant.
He has revealed that details of hospital visits he made were leaked to the press, his garbage was rifled through, his ex-girlfriend and his infant daughter harassed.
Grant said articles in The Sun and the Daily Express about his visit to a hospital emergency room was a gross intrusion of privacy.
"I think no one would expect their medical records to be made public or to be appropriated by newspapers for commercial profit," the actor said. "That is fundamental to our British sense of decency."
Reuters, The Associated Press and ITV News contributed to this report. ITV News is NBC's U.K. partner.
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- An ocean away in UK, time is running out to claim $100 million lottery prize
- ANALYSIS: Egypt learns the art of politics amid protests
- Arafat's exhumation: Palestinians' desire for truth might be dashed again
- Chinese paper falls for Onion 'sexiest man alive' spoof
- Europe sees US debt crisis as dire as its own
- ANALYSIS: Israeli defense chief quits politics — but for how long?
- Scientists rush to save manta rays, the 'pandas of the ocean'
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Makes you wonder how many criminal actions murdoch has done in the U.S.A.. Australia doesn't want him back,England has had their fill of him. When it comes to light of all the crimes he is responsible for in the U.S.,maybe some judge or official will grow a pair and prosecute the old ba$tard. Hell,he should be executed just for putting FOX on the air.
I just wish we had as much balls as these other countries. Sadly those who get to make these decisions are under his bankroll via campaign donations.
This man is a blight on America. He "purchased" his US citizenship by lining the pockets of politicians with campaign contributions to streamline his naturalization. He wanted citizenship not for love of country, but only for the purpose of buying up American broadcast media companies (which under US law cannot be owned by non-citizens).
If he has violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the US government should revoke his citizenship, deport him back to his native Australia (if they are foolish enough to accept him) and break-up his media empire and auction off his broadcast licenses in the United States.
An America without the taint of Rupert Murdoch will be a much less divisive and much more civil country again.
Metinks that they should be punished to the point that makes them work hard for years to overcome this mistake. They willfuly broke laws of not only Britian, but the U. S. - those gaurdians of truth at Fox surprisinly haven't spoken about it.....
three years profits of the whole Murdoch empire - paid over 6 years - instead of like how BP got by with paying just over one quarter ( to date) OF a years proifit for the Gulf accident
I can see why Rupert is on the nose all around the world. His media outlets are not afraid to report on and deliver the news without spin, just as it is. In most cases people don’t like it, brainwashed by the left and saturated by their spin, they can no longer tell the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong. Truth hurts, that’s why they don’t like him.
What happened in England is unfortunate and the guilty ones will pay their penalty, as they should. Here at home, Fox news, have their hiccups from time to time but they are light years ahead of the other media companies. I wish there were more channels like Fox to deliver the news.
wtw i sure hope you're a corporate plant like the at least 25% of the tea party that is, and not just truly insane. search the word "astroturfing" on google.
Daniel,
No, I am not an astroturfer, I just like a balanced viewpoint and like to consider all options.
There are already laws on the books that make what happened in the UK illegal. Those that broke those laws deserve to be prosecuted and pay the price for their transgressions. That said, there is no need to start passing laws regulating the press. This would be an extremely dangerous precedent and a complete anathema to the idea of a free press which we hold dear. If a person does something that is embarrassing to them they should not have any right to stop the press from publishing stories about it. You can scream all you want about decency, but who then becomes the arbiter of what is "decent" enough to be able to be published and what is not. It would turn into a case of how much privacy and control of what is printed about you can you afford to buy. If a celebrity or politician does something that in extremely embarrassing or indecent should they be able to suppress the publication of information regarding their actions by claiming it is indecent to publish the story?!?! We have had numerous cases in the US that have gone all the way to the Supreme Court where it has been consistently ruled that prior restraint of the press from publishing things is unconstitutional. As much as I feel that there are a number of so-called news organizations that are completely worthless and thrive on publishing titillating filth, the idea of any law regulating the press is extremely worrying. Having a free and open press is one of the cornerstones that makes our democracy work. If you start allowing the government to control the press, you place the future of our form of government at risk as I strongly believe that you can not have a functioning democracy without a free press. We have plenty of laws that can be used to prosecute those who step over the line without resorting to government regulation of the press.
oh i remember when fox came out with state of the art graphics in the 90s. they sure know how to run their programming. i remember being unemployed in the 2000s, all i had known of was limbaugh and on the radio. I turned on the daytime Fox news channel, and was astonished to see all the blue-eyed blondes working the set.
The whole "leftist-media" thing since Reagan has been a fabrication, like William "Harrahs" Bennett's supposed concern for children as education czar. To cover up the theft of trillions upon trillions of untaxed wealth as taxes were cut for the rich and corporations here and worldwide; just in the US from 70% max rate when Reagan came in to 35% today. AND during wartime? And where are the jobs? Look up the historical tax rates of the US. Can you imagine if over the past 30 years we had twice as many taxes available to spend in our country. None of the present economic conditions that we are trifling over would be occuring.
or let's not even say twice as much, or 100% more, how about 10% more, 25%, 50% of what we now have to spend? but there are a whole lot of rich americans not in the top 1%, who are very well off, who don't want that to change.
Robert in Oregon--Amen to that brother! We GAVE him his American citizenship and we can TAKE IT AWAY. Revoke his citizenship and do it now! We won't have to deport him, I doubt he spends that much time in this country. To call him a blight on America is putting it mildly.
Gordon,
Benghazi is in the news everyday..................are you just grenade trolling? So predictable behavior from the conservatives...........ad naseum attacks and then complain that nobody is reporting the incident.
He's a hero of the republican party, his media outlets sway the truth and push the right wing agenda. He will never pay for his crimes because he's backed by the entire republican party.
In answer to Gordon's question: It is because the news realizes a few republicans are trying to make political points on the Benghazi incident. That's what republicans do and have done on just about everything. They can't discuss or even bring proposals to the House floor, but they can speculate til the cows come home about something that doesn't amount to a hill of beans. I guess that's why they are nicknamed the party of NO.
This is nothing but an attempt by liberals to beat up on Murdoch because he doesn't adhere to the liberal agenda like the vast majority of the media does.
@wtw....BWAAA-HAHAHAHAAAAA....! you got taken in by a news corporation owned by a crooked australian and a saudi arabian oil prince that sponsors terrorism...must be sooooo blissful to be so easily manipulated...
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!
You gotta love the Liberal/Progressive "media" hypocrites.
Ever since Murrow, Huntley, Brinkley and Cronkite our media has been nothing more than political lapdogs. Koppel even admits that journalism is a disaster. The media has become nothing more than opinion with partisan editorials and sensationalism masquerading for journalism.
Of course the partisan hacks will support their news "sources" and demonize anyone who opposes their indoctrinated views. American journalism is no better than the tabloid nonsense that spews out of the UK or any other country. At least they maintain a level of jingoistic integrity, our media will mock and hate on America in a heartbeat.
Sensationalism has replaced journalism. The worst part is most Americans don't even realize it. The Founders and Framers realized how important and powerful the press was and would continue to be. I doubt they ever thought it would devolve into a united gossip organization. When you get 5,000 word, front page articles about a candidates hijinx in high school 47 years ago but never a word about the other candidates drug and alcohol abuse, the bias is exposed and obvious.
Media has become a constant struggle to land the coveted Pulitzer or an anchor seat. Both of which are determined on a partisan basis, yet many still believe it's an achievement. Ever since Woodward and Bernstein the focus is on the reward rather than the integrity of the profession.
Today, you usually only need to read the first 2-3 paragraphs or listen to the first few minutes of a report, everything after that is opinion and typical bias. When the biggest story coming out of the UK is naked pictures of Kate Middleton, the media deserves all the slander it gets.
NBS, must love this.
You know, while we are slamming Murdoch's news gathering, lets just remember the hatchet job the news did on Bill Clinton, much of it driven by ILLEGAL wire taps done on Monica Lewinski (without her permission, which made it illegal, but her 'good buddy' who was doing it got NO punishment).
But lets ALSO remember Dan Rather's (CBS, remember, NOT the hated FOX) attempt to destroy BUSH with false facts. Lets also remember the hatchet job that NBC (artificially editing 9-11 calls) did on George Zimmerman, as well as ABC doing the same with police surveillance tapes, AGAIN with the seemingly obvious goal to foster racial discord (both STILL refer to Zimmerman as half WHITE, even tho it has repeatedly been proven that his 'ethnic' background is ALL Peruvian)
It is notable that NO press in the world actually does much 'reporting' these days--they mostly do SPINNING to meet their owner's agenda.
That includes Fox, but it ALSO includes the LEFT leaning media. And anyone who tries to make one more guilty than any other is either blind of a party die hard.
Is Murdoch a spin off of the greedy old fart on the Simpsons??? Or is the Simpson Greedy old fart a spinoff off of Murdoch...?
MO --- Well said, I wonder how many people watching MSNBC are willing to understand it is still about ratings and money. I watch all the channels and read all the news I can. It is funny what you find out by doing that. The problem with the press is the presentation of so called facts created from gossip.
Coming Soon : The Zombie Apocalypse.
Starring: John McCan't as the washed up bitter old man in search of fresh brains. Rush Limbaugh as the get in my belly, fat guy & his idiot friends the drones at Faux News.
Recently dead guy Ben Gazzara declined to take part in this project due to the fact that his name sounds to close to Benghazi and does not want his good named slandered by those people paid off by Faux News and their Nazi Party Chairman and Minister of Propaganda, Rupert 'almost dead guy" Murdoch.
No such thing as "Fair and Balanced" at the fixed news network..any conscious person of reason realizes that..the rest are living is some kind of fantasy world, where there's no such thing as global warming, or xmas is under attack, or Obama is a terrorist from Kenya, ect...when reporting facts/truths about a subject there can be no such thing as a dem point of view or repub point of view...there is only one story that should be given..the actual truth..FOX NEWS is bad for people, like over eating, smoking cigarettes, or binge drinking..its JUNK food for the brain
Mike Hill - what is funny is that he is a big time democrat support - he is a business man and saw a need in and created Fox and made money from it - you may or may not like the channel but kills in the all other cable news time slots - Also Brit tv and US is very different just look at what is going on at the BBC and yes I lived there for a while they are no better than the stuff we have here in the USA.
The libs are all for freedom of the press....so long as that press supports the liberal agenda, you know like the bas***ds at NCB, CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, PBS, etc who whore for the white house by reporting only what David Azzholerod tells them to. Thank God for a guy like Murdoch who has the balls and the money to present opposing views.
Spider...you are not paranoid...all those news channels ARE against you!
I must apologize to the general public for comments I made earlier this week. I was punished and will not repeat my earlier mistakes in treating everyone who comments with respect. That being said, I wish we would devote our time and attention to fixing the problems in our society rather than tearing each other apart with our snide comments and ridicule. Sam, we each can find networks that pay particular preference to one side or the other. What we should be focusing on is a true journalistic presentation by the news networks. No position one way or the other. Present both sides so we as people can decide.
"Freedom of the press" only benefits the press and their ability to slant/report/refrain from reporting the news, and their fabrication of the news as they see fit. Truth is an option.
Debi-1314897
"Freedom of the press" only benefits the press and their ability to slant/report/refrain from reporting the news, and their fabrication of the news as they see fit. Truth is an option.
This is the most truthful comment I've seen on this board.
I'm all for "Freedom of the press" but not when it becomes "Invasion of privacy".
What Rules, What Laws, those are for common folk people .... Information is power, Learn it.
The problem is when information is obtained through biased news, it becomes more like propaganda.
1.11 deleted, gordonw12 derailing about Benghazi. Find or seed an article about that topic next time. Later threw in a personal attack. You're suspended for a week for violating #4 and #1 of the Code of Honor.
Sad, real sad. First off, Murdoch is only connected because he was a part owner in the tabloid that possibly perptraited this activity.
Last I checked, there was zero mention of him actually acting, in any manner.
Second, the activities that determine the on goings of a news source are determined by the Editors. Murdoch employes the Editors to do the job of manage, and they report to him.
When you have as many news sources, as Murdoch owns, one tends to depend on what is reported and little time in validating...
Third, the US Government can/will continue to "wire tap" on anyone they deem necessary. President Obama has increased the Homeland Security measures and show absolute support.
Fourth, and this is more important... Cell Phone companies maintain all rights to ANY information placed/stored on their servers, including your contact lists, voicemail messages, etc... If you think the reporters just "hacked" into the accounts with no access, you are fooling yourself.
The EULA (End User License Agreement) that EVERYONE must agree to, include you, agreeing to allow this. Funny how most people never read more than a single line in the EULA, they do not understand that they pay for the service to use voicemail, not the exclusive rights to the content.
Same goes for webistes, like this and Facebook. You grant them the rights to use all material posted, shared, etc...
But just to state the obvious, CNN and Ted Turner have got to be shaking in their boots, too. Any legal conviction against the Freedom of the Press (regardless of right or wrong) opens the door for sanctions or regulations that can be obscured.
In other words, if the government (especially a GOP majority government) could utilize legal maneuver to control the flow of information.... to paint the picture, image CNN being forced to report Fox style content, just out of fear from prosecution?
@starsailing.. follow liberal posts here, see how many refer to Fox News as "Faux" and blast them as being "untrue", even though they have never been sued for liable, slander or otherwise...
@Debbie, "Freedom of the Press" is ONLY a right in the USA... British Laws does not enjoy such rights. But where is the line between privacy and right of reporting?
Answer, it's in the consumer. Not just the consumer of the media, but the business that pay the bills.
Since people are more interested in getting thier information for free, companies paying for people to get the news have to depend on the only people that pay, that is the companies that advertise with them.
In fact, anyone working for free is likely working with zero budget and just rehashing information. They obviously don't even pay for licensing. Those people are actually quite scary, because they have zero accountability and have the ability to truely distort the fact.
TiGor:
The fact of the matter is, he is a gun owner, as am I.
This man has caused our country great harm in oh so many ways. It is not surprising that he and his band of criminals will do anything legal or otherwise to advance their right wing agenda.
We should strip Murdock of his citizenship, confiscate everything he owns and kick his worthless fascist ass out of the country.
After the revolutionary war along with the British troops leaving on ships were over 100 thousand colonists not loyal to our new nation........... Personally I see no difference between them and a self serving smuck like Murdock...... Hey Rupert, take all your traitorous right wing buddies with you, maybe Somalia will give you a home.
yeah but if the US public was as willing to take in his bs all the way from/since the reagan years, what else would they believe? one person isn't responsible for our stupidity, we are, even those who never fell for RM but just went along not complaining.
It's a sad day in our history, when to get unbiased news I have to turn to AJE (Al Jazeera English) to find fair and unbiased reporting ...
The Entire American press has failed us. The scumbags of the world like Rupert Murdock have destroyed a once great part of American the American system.
Truth has no value .... Shape their opinion and then "Tell em What They Want to Hear"
Seriously you are some of the same people who voted for obama The 59 million of us who didnt want answers on the unfinished buisness
Gordon,
Are you referring to birth certificates and the other idiotic questions you have as "unfinished buisness"?
@gordonw12;
Yep, you damn right, we voted for Obama! And, not for more of the same crapola that is spewed by faux noise.
Murdoch and his teapublican supporters have and are turning the conservative people of this great nation into polarized idiots.
Obama and progressives are at least willing to compromise on a great many subjects in order to move this country forward.
The Murdoch supporters of this nation have carved out a niche for themselves that is starting to grow smaller and smaller, day by day. After this past election, many on the right are beginning to realize that without compromise and thoughtful, solid ideas put forward, the future for there party having any significant impact on the governing of this nation will become minimal at best.
An example is the posturing that McConnell is taking regarding the Senate filibuster rules. The majority of the American people are damn tired of his nonsense. He is up for re-election in 2014 and believes that what he is doing now will guarantee a victory for himself, not a victory for the American people, a victory for himself. Just like Murdoch's "news" businesses, do anything necessary to sell, sell, sell that newspaper or television stations programs and don't worry about breaking the law or whose bodies you have to step over or kick out of the way to get what you want.
BehindEnemyLines-InUtah
Apparently you have missed the growing reports that emboldened Democrats are saying if they don't get their way in this "fiscal cliff" that they will walk and push it to next year because according to their stat monsters the "cliff" would be more like a curve and thus NOT AS BAD as everyone thinks. So, because they refuse to address entitlement spending in many cases at all, the are also willing to let use normal taxpayers continue to be pawns.
Both sides people, both sides.
Besides to get on here and act like liberal media outlets aren't doing the SAME you accuse Fox of doing really hurts a lot of what you say. You come across pretty well informed about your opinion...but you aren't going far enough by ignoring left media scandals as well.
@stooopid,
and where were you when at least a dozen embassies were attacked and people were killed under bush II's watch?
Joe--and those 'dozens of embassies that were 'attacked and people were killed under bush II's watch'--how many of them had the ambassador begged and pleaded for stronger security?
How about the embassies that were attacked under Clinton, (and Susan Rice, I might add) when we were not even at war in the region?
The importance of Benghazi stems from two factors--we KNEW that he was afraid for his life and had asked for more security, and had that request denied, and AFTER the attacks, seemingly our government was shown to at BEST incompetent, not only in that and their poor response, but ALSO in trying to cover up the terrorism aspect until AFTER the election (if not forever!) in order for Obama and Biden to continue claiming they had 'wiped out' Al Qaeda and related terror attacks.
Personally, I think even FOX has been remiss in not pushing the issue MORE. Because right now, if I were a State Department employee stationed outside the US, particularly in the middle east, I'd be looking to resign out of fear of my life. And WHERE does that leave us, with no 'eyes' and also no representation in those countries?
And Brian--Harry Reid needs to be careful what he asks for re the fillibuster. Its use has been the only thing that protects the other nearly 50% of the public who did NOT vote for one party from having their rights ridden ROUGH shod over. And if you take that right away, eventually the tide will turn, the pubs or some other group will be in power, and will use that as a way to silence the minority when that minority is the LIBERALS.
It is NO accident that the House of Reps went from Dem control to Pub control in 2010. And EVERY ONE of those people were elected by CITIZENS, and elected to try to GET control of an out of control government, dominated by ONE party. I didn't like that Domination under Shrub for 6 years, so why would I like it under Obama ? We NEED those checks and balances.
msnbcisliberallystupid:
Holy crap, I'm glad I don't worship the same "God" as you. Not only are you everything a Christian should NOT be, unfortunately for this country... you very much represent what turns most of us OFF to religious zealots and their insane rants, demands and beliefs. See, the problem with people like yourselves is, you vilify what the Bible teaches and warns against. For example, the scripture where Jesus saved the alleged prostitute from being stoned to death by the angry mob when he told them "let he amongst you who is without sin, cast the first stone". Remember that one? No... I didn't think you did.
Ummm Brian, it is the GOP who want to push the 'fiscal cliff' to next year by passing monthly amendments to keep government working, bypassing ANY compromise unless 'We got 98% of what we wanted,' as quoted by Boehner. You call that compromise? Obama DID put entitlement cuts on the table, and it wasn't good enough for the GOP because raising taxes for the rich were included. And just like the LAST TIME, the GOP will do what they can, more for personal gain and obvious hatred for this president, than to COUNTRY FIRST, and you know what happened then; the downgrade of America's rating...TWICE, NO job bills passed by the House in 4+ years, the 'killing' of any job bills that have Obama's name on them, including bills FOR small businesses and VETERANS coming home from the Iraq/Afghanistan wars. And they have the mendacity to call themselves 'Patriots?' The only thing the GOP are 'patriotic' to, is the all-mighty $, well that and it has 'God' on it, which makes them feel like they are being 'faithful' BOTH ways.
http://www.speaker.gov/general/25-house-passed-jobs-bills-stuck-democratic-run-senate
Both parties are at fault ... so both are just as responsible for pushing their agenda
I am not sure if Murdock has true political leanings, if he was a true conservative he would not promote the sexual side of life in his news systems. And if he was a true Liberal then he would not allow the Fox News propaganda and ouright lies that emit from those sources. He has done what resourceful people do and found a weakness in Human Nature and he has pushed it as far as he can. I thought the death of Princess Di might be his downfall, but instead he transfered his attention to the USA. He was blocked originally from buying into the US Press Corps, but obviously pressure paid off. And now maybe his house of cards in falling, we do not need to change our laws on freedom of speech, but pay more attention to what is being said. We do see the liberal media going further to the left just as the Conservative media has gone far right, which is now reflected in our society. But if people do sit down together they certainly can find medium ground. We need the press and media to be closer aligned to the middle ground. The brits and to certain extent the rest of the world at least have the BBC World Service to access proper news.
msnbcisliberallystupid banned, rereg of MSNBCisdung, multiple msnnumbskulls also banned.
First off, Murdoch is just the Owner. It is the individual EDITORS on trial... proof of slanted news, they blur the lines... please not, Murdoch owns several papers, well known for their "liberal" viewpoints.
The fact that many successful one's are conservative viewpoints has more to do with his rivalry with Ted Turner. But that would be too much information to try to explain here.
As for the GOP stone walling...
PLEASE CHECK YOUR FACTS!! Do not just take liberal spin doctor publishing... Look at both sides of the story and find the truth in the midst!!!
GOP is not stopping anything, they were not the one's who went on a PR trip abroad, while the Fiscal Cliff fell near. They were not the one's abstaining from testifying, and letting Ms. Rice put her head on the chopping block.
The GOP has met with Democrats every day, BUT here is the thing, they both want the same thing (raised income from taxes). GOP has asked for the very thing Obama promised... closing the loopholes.
Simple fact, key loopholes have been targeted and proven that removal or regulations adjustments to those loohole will increase the tax income MORE than raising the taxes on those making $250,000 and higher.
Better yet, those loopholes will not have as deep an impact on the Small Business owners and have more fo a sliding scale affect.
Seriously, this is the main reason many "millionaires" have made pubic statments in support of raising the tax rate, because they know perfectly good and well they can push the increase towards those loopholes and leaving only the small business owners or those struggling to be burdened.
They need to shut down the ways that the millionaire can stash their money.
Seriously, many small business' reach that $250,000 annual income, but that is adjusted Gross income, not net income, and not including the State taxes, which are on the same amount...
Sad part, the "increase" for letting the tax rates return to pre-2001 levels is only 4.5% for those making $250,000 or more.
It has been at 35% since 2001, yet... even the most liberal commentator touted that Romeny paid 15%.. yet could not relate to how? Simply put... loopholes... investment write offs, property tax right offs, business expense write offs.. all without limits or caps.
Seriously, a savvy businessman can buy a piece of land through the business and then write off it as a "business investment". What a free vacation? Simple, travel to Europe, have couple days of meetings... buy the Hotel and flights on "package deals" and viola.... business expense.
Want to see a popular attraction, invite a potential business associate.. write off as business expense.
Want a new car? This one's fun.. Buy the new car through financing, give the old car to one of your own charities... write off the total value of the old car AND the interest payments. When you buy a car, they give you the amount of the total interest payments, pay portions of the interest amount only and you can write off the amount of the interest paid each year.
When you are done with the car, hand it down to the charity again, have the charity sell the first one. And viola, you do not have to report the income from selling the first and you get the write off for the second donation....
Many, many trick like this, and the Corporate Lobbyist do not want them touched... because they will be forced to pay more and the special interest (aka the Charitable Organizations of the Corporations) will be the one's to lose out.
See that is the other flip of the coin, the large Corporations stash money in the Special Interests groups that pay high dollar lobbyists to promote... the Corporations!!! And since they are NOT FOR PROFIT, they don't get restricted to tax burdens.
murdoch was more involved than you believe. i remember reading about how murdoch made a deal with bush to give more air time on the war on terror and have fox news' full support and stylizing it in return for more "freedom" of the press...like, the freedom to lie to us...by making the FCC lift limits on what they could or couldn't do...in fact, he pushed the iraq war onto tony blair after making the deal with bush...even though tony blair didn't make his decision based on what murdoch wanted, murdoch attempted to manipulated world events and still does to this day...the man and his saudi arabian co-owner owns wall street journal and new york post and thousands of news outlets nationwide not to mention worldwide...
and yes...i see the irony of my source cited...which makes my point all the sweeter...
Hey! Got news for these celebs... we in American have ALL been traumatized by Faux News! They have made twisting the truth and outright lying into an art form! We need a law like Canada that says if you are granted a license to use the public airwaves for distributing news, you can't use them to LIE! What an absolutely novel concept! It is precisely why Canadians will never be brutalized by Fox News and can have a measure of faith in what is reported to them. Journalism at its best!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/fox-news-will-not-be-moving-into-canada-after-all_b_829473.html
"traumatized" "we need a law" don't make us laugh.
Actually we get Fox Notnews here in Canada as well, its fun to watch once in awhile when you need a good laugh.
Seriously you actually believe the idiot madog rachel?? or zombie matthews wow goonie birds all no wonder obama won too many people who are uneducated
I don't know what's worse, liberal's amazing fear of a single conservative news channel, or how much their party preaches tolerance and acceptance except when it comes to any opinion that doesn't follow their pathetic little socialism ideology.
I for one hope Fox News continues with their lies and mis-information. Then conservatives will still be the dumb sheeple that they are and keep losing elections because they are too far gone from reality. They can keep their pathetic trickle-down economic policies or their ridiculous anti-American religious ideology. Most American people are too smart to believe their BS now.
Ryan, I'm with ya on that. Faux News spews is a big reason why Myth got his rich ass handed to him on a dirty platter this past election. The majority of US are fed up with the hypocrisy and lies that go with that, coming from the neo-con party of rich-worshipping racists. Gordon and his post above exemplifies that.. anyone who has ever listened to Rachel Maddow knows she is a far-cry from uneducated and offers stellar opinions, based on facts, truth and much research.
Ummm gordan, you were obviously left out of the loop concerning an INDEPENDENT poll showing that it is low-information Republican gatherers who watch Fox 'Entertainment' News for misstatements, half-truths, and complete lies. Why don't you sit along side of Greta van Stiff-face and cry about not being included in White House briefings, because Fox has NO REAL REPORTERS.
Murdoch has created a a news station for the people who buy those magazines at the checkout counter in supermarket....News Flash ...Two headed Big Foot found in Oregon, rumers are it is an alien from outer space who carried Rush Limperger's baby!!!!.....So do search on Fox news dumber....and see actual real studies that show that people who watch Fox news are actually dumber after watching Fox news....That's Fox news dumber!!!
I agree with you about Fox News not being fair.....however....what about MSNBC. You are either a hypocrit or an idiot if you do not include MSNBC and Fox News together when referring to lying and unfairness. Each one is as bad as the other and no one who is intelligent can possibly deny that. I listen to both quite regularly in order to get both sides of the stories. It is important. I am mostly a conservative, but I would find it awfully dangerous if I only listened to Fox and did not get to hear the other side of the story from MSNBC.
MSNBC is just as bad as spinning stories and lying and if you deny that it is become you are too narrow minded and only hear what you want to hear or read what you want to read. All of you are just bashing Fox News right now because you are liberals, but not one of you have mentioned MSNBC. They are just as bad but since it agrees with your already made up liberal minds, it is ok. Grow up folks
There is alway's opposition to an action, the question is did Fox news lies cause MSNBC further to the left. Or was it the other way round. Did the hijacking of the Rep Party by the Tea Party cause the Liberal Media further to the left ?
In other words....do you let Fox news lie 24/7 without any culpability? Canada said no....Fox is entertainment, NOT NEWS! MSNBC came about because of all the lies Fox news puts out. Fox news GOP/NEWS came about back in the 70's because Nixon was being slammed for all his illegal activities. GOP wanted their own version of events in future....and thus was born Fox news!
Starsailing
Sure. Whatever. How they were born is irrelevant. The fact of the matter today though is MSNBC is just as far left as Fox is right. How it became that way is not important. What is important is to recognize this partisanship.
A Euro
I do believe you are right. The further MSNBC goes to the left, the further Fox goes to the right and vice versa. This is a leading cause for the partisanship we have in the U.S. today
Nothing will come of this. When you have that much money and power you are invincible to things like this. Most people already hate the guy, and those to stupid to think for themselves will think its just another "baseless attack from the liberal media". Might cost him some coin in shut up money but besides that... notta.
i think once the public gets an idea of exactly who else could have been surveilled, the military, etc, then it will become a much more serious case.
Have Obama put Rice on the case. I bet she will get to the bottom of it.
Joe--I don't like Murdoch, but I find it funny that people on here are so indignant about HIS actions, the day after a judge ruled that big tobacco must not only pay massive fines, but also PAY for advertizemsts apologizing for lying to the public for years on the danger of Cigarettes, while at the same time adding extra nicotine to make their product even MORE addictive.
BOTH companies depend on an uneducated (or criminally stupid) client base to keep their power.
Only difference is, FOX is not the only news company doing what they are doing. They are just the only one that leans RIGHT.
why the most corrupt, most untrue, unethical ,biased news channel-fox news should be taken off the air!!
If Fox News gets taking off than MSNBC should get taken off because they are just as far left as fox is right. The only difference is MSNBC is skewed to the way YOU think it should be so it is alright. Time to grow up and learn both sides of the story. grow up. get a brain. ask questions. learn the other side of the story. grow up you narrow minded $hitbag. Get a mind of your own and not just a pawn of a liberal agenda.
This investigation is about Rupert Murdoch's illegal hacking and surveillance of private citizens' email and phone accounts and the possibility the same practices may have been used here in the U.S., not about which "news" station is Liberal or Conservative. No matter which way your political ideology leans, the report remains the same. This type of activity is illegal no matter the "who" of the matter. Until a case is brought against other news organizations here and/or abroad, this is about Rupert Murdoch and his staff. Can't we all just stay on point?
I believe he was setup like other people who get in trouble with the law!!!! Otherwise he would not have done it!!!! Not fair at all!!!!
News Corp. and Rupert Murdoch must answer for the crimes they committed, period. Don't be rediculous and muddy the water by saying the punishment should be all media be censored by the government
Looks like the GOP may be losing their media division. Well, we can hope.
yeah but he's an opportunist, not a rightist. he never cared about morals or ethics or family values, only money. he could just as easily now come out with a mouthpiece of the left, and then you'd REALLY have to watch. As a matter of fact a lot of people blame a lot of our present problems on the weakness and uncaring of the non-existent US left.
So we lose a voice from the consertive side, what happens when it is liberal leaning like NBC, CBS, and ABC then you have a problem with it. Destroy the opion of others until there is only one opion? Sounds like you are getting your gov't run everything what is next we elect a king for life?
CBS and ABC are middle ground. You are just so far to the right than anything other than Fox is considered left. See below chart.
Fox----------------------(extreme right)-----------------------(right)--------------CBS(middle)ABC------(left)-----NBC
more accurate depiction.
MSNBC-----------Extreme left----------left-ABC----------CNN---middle---------------------------Extreme right--Fox News
The former editor of News of the World, is now the prime minister's chief media advisor.
So much for the hope that justice will be served in this case.
While all of the post have purpose and conviction, and while the British Government is committed to protecting British Citizens, the Republican Controlled House of Representatives will do nothing to this man and News Corp. Fox News is the Republican Propaganda Channel, and every member of the GOP, and every major player on Wall Street would be blackmailed by Murdoch and News Corp. If the general public believes this criminal violation of public privacy was limited to the United Kingdom they would be wrong. I am guessing that the FBI currently has a similar investigation underway for Mr. Murdoch and Fox News. In the end, the Republicans will cover it all up for one of their own.
The same as the democrats cover up for ABC, NBC , and CBS!!!!! Different view.... So you want to silence everyone that doesn't agree with you yet we are told you are the party of tolerance, bull you are the party of whatever talking points get a high approval rating..
Terry-
Sadly, you're probably right.
Some of the very rich and powerful develop an arrogance and believe that the rules do not apply to them.
CUJOKE42
Isnt it disgusting how all these liberals can come on here and point fingers at Foxnews as being liars and they just spread filth because they dont agree with a liberal propaganda? MSNBC does the exact same thing....why dont they feel the same about MSNBC as they do Fox? maybe because they are too narrow minded and will never question their own news source.
You liberals are all pawns of MSNBC
Terry - it appears everypone has forgotten / or wants to ignore the fact that George Bush gave imunity to the telecom executive here to prevent any such truth from surfacing here.... Blanket Immunity for what is considered illegal wiretaps on our citizens......
The Republican stooges now want to appear that they are doing something - - other than covering their own tracks
and the sad thing is fox still says fair and balanced we report you decide, what a joke!
To put this in perspective, real people have been damaged by the illegal activities of a press that lost it's way. I still wish to maintain a free press, holding the powerful and corrupt to account. I'm less comfortable with an immoral gang of opportunists circling then pouncing like rampant hyenas on the vulnerable.
The Milly Dowler story is one of a host of obscene stories of the lengths some will go to in the Murdoch and tabloid press here. A young girl who disappears, parents unsure whether their daughter is alive or dead, or worse. Her voicemail is full, yet the parents in desperation continued to check it, to see whether she has listened, some tiny hope she may still be alive. One day, they realise they can leave a message, a sign messages have been deleted and listened to. Few of us can imagine the situation, the diminishing hope that she is still alive, suddenly returned. Later, it's discovered this was not her, it was some P.I. hacking her phone, deleting messages for a story. It's sick, I can't for one second imagine how this has affected the family, I can only sympathise, and hope never understand fully.
This report is necessary, we can't allow the political class to use it for vengeance or to try to control it, but it's clear that an independent regulatory body may be a viable solution, one whose existence and motives cannot be linked to press or politician. Keep press freedom within the confines of the law, and the soft touch regulation in other cases; that is necessary for liberty and freedom to flourish.
Pulling at the threads--and YET, what about the Trayvon Martin case? The LIBERAL media in the US had George Zimmerman convicted of MURDER of an innocent child, had Zimmerman labeled as a racist white man (NBC and ABC STILL to this day refer to him as half white even tho he is not), and edited tapes to make him look guilty even tho they KNEW those 'edits' were inflamatory and not true to the actual tapes.
What ever happened to the old notion of "innocent until proven guilty"? Now we have Nancy Grace who 'rides' stories that 'convict without trial' (and BELEIVE me, she is NOT on Fox!) (and she IS, BTW, a ditzy blonde).
Like it or not, people, we should NOT take ANYTHING that any news 'source' promotes as the TRUTH, without checking the opposition. The main value of Fox News, (which I do NOT watch except for occasionally the show "The Five") is that they keep the liberal media from running away with the news.
And I was in favor of "Air America" as a liberal alternative to all the Republican based Radio shows for the SAME reason.
WhenEVER you base your views on some source that ONLY tells you what you want to believe, it is really dangerous.
George Zimmerman's father is white, that makes him 1/2 white end of story. Also be serious with yourself "the five" is four conservatives who stretch the truth and tell corny jokes with one liberal who is not allowed to respond for more than 30 seconds. Think about it for one minute why does not anybody from any Fox show (except Bill O'Reilly) discuss/debate topics on any other platform. The answer they would get bombarded with actual facts and made to look foolish. By the way did Fox ever apologize or even admit there part in the Sherry Sherrod scandal, or how about the "Obama videos" that Hannity ALWAYS edits. Not to bash you but if you expect any common sense people to not know what FOX is you will be very upset.
this is a national security issue, not a media one. they should be treated just as the famous hackers ie kevin mitnick, adrian lamo etc. Arrested and tried. Except in this case they are acting in collusion and conspiratorially. they're not just hacking into people's personal messages, they're hacking into national and international computer and telecommunications systems. the scary thing is they could have been working for terrorist groups, or done similar things such as what Assange did, who has been so vilified.
This guy has gotten filthy rich peddling hate, sleaze and outright lies. The only justice here is to see that he dies poor and miserable.
he died long ago.
Hmmm... a tabloid paper in the UK invaded the privacy of a few celebrities, and everyone is ready to burn Murdoch at the stake.
The entire mainstream news apparatus in this country refuses to run a single negative story about the president for the duration of his campaign, despite numerous international and domestic crises... and nothing.
Good priorities! And we wonder why we're in such bad shape. People care more about celebrities than about holding our own politicians accountable.
Maybe there isn't anything negative to print about the president. Except maybe more of the hate and lies that you hear on Sux News and from Rush Laimbrain. I know your strategy here. If your guy is a total sleaze-bag like Bush-Cheney, you feel the need to make the other guy look worse. It's a compensatory thing.
burn Murdoch at the stake. Bring it on!!!
Yeah, there's nothing negative to print about the president. The country is in fine shape, and so is the rest of the world. Nothing bad happening anywhere at all. And if there is, nothing can be his fault, because he's perfect.
Don't worry, Obama won't last through his second term. A brave patriot with good aim will see to that.
Rupert Murdoch is a wrinkled old raisin of a vile and shameless creature, filled with hatred and vitriol, who misses no opportunity to spew it on the public. He laughs at the law in the UK, having bought up all of the important and influential government members who might have been able to punish him for his crimes. He doubtless has done the same in the US. He laughs at the laws there too. He truly feels he is completely above the law, and nobody should ever dare question him about it. He will die unmourned. The mindless, slack-jawed, and unquestioning goobers who lap up his spew on Faux Snooze are a huge part of what is so very wrong with the USA.
Yes those U.K. rags are almost as bad as the New York Times.
If murdoch loses his fox news,what will happen to all those nitwit so called fox news journalists.o'rielly,hannity and all those other slime repoorters . No one will hire them .they will become unemployed. Oh rupert will throw them all under the bus. A world without fox news. Can't wait.
Then what will all the ignorant Fox "news" junkies do without their fascist propaganda fix?
Stonee--sorry, but if you REALLY think that NONE of the left wing news channels would hire Bill O'Reilly and his uber RATINGS, you're wrong.
Politics goes under the bus when profits interfere.
Like him or not, (and I don't) O'Reilly is a cash cow.
Similarly, Murdoch would not have gotten away with what HE has done if the 'unwashed public' (in this case, mostly in Britain) would quit watching and reading stuff they KNOW was illegally obtained.
This case will be the test. If Murdock ends up with nothing more than a fine, which is nothing but a nuisance for him, we will know that The Law does not apply to the Super-Rich, even when everybody is watching. We already know that it doesn't apply when nobody is watching. But to have the same results even in full media scrutiny will let us all know that we are not free citizens. We are chattel, bought and sold by the masters of our society. No longer can we claim to live in a Representative Democracy. If Murdock does not actually lose either liberty or at least some of his FCC licenses, we will know that this nation is really just an Empire of the Rich. New Rome.
if there werent mindless idiots in this country there wouldnt be a need for fox and the rest of them.''no one ever lost any money underestimating the intelligence of the american people''P.T.Barnum
Joe--exactly! And that counts the loyalists of Fox, but ALSO those slavishly devoted to the LIBERAL media, too.
Lets hurry up and bring this D-Bag criminal too trial in America....
He looks as though he is not long for this Earth..
Which is also a pleasant thought...
CNN has the obligation to remove Piers Morgan from their network. When someone in the business has even a taint of impropriety then that news organization is effected in an adverse way. The very credibility of CNN comes into question and is now on the line. Do the right thing CNN.
While I appreciate your intention of keeping our airwaves clean from scum, do keep in mind that it would be inappropriate to take actions against anybody without conclusive proof of their personal wrongdoing. The same kind of 'guilt-by-association' was used back in the McCarthy Red Scare days and improperly harmed lots of people. While I do suspect that Morgan is dirty, suspicion isn't enough to take corrective actions that harm him. Lets do the job right first.
As for CNN's credibility, well lets just say that concept itself went out the window years ago. For good, unbiased news, the best options I know of are BBC and NHK. American 'news' is far too focused on their entertainment value instead of their public duty to inform. But that is a whale of a topic for another day...
I agree with what you say. However this argument: "At the Leveson Inquiry, Morgan refused to reveal how he was able to listen to the message, saying this would compromise a source." is just too convenient an excuse for burying the truth. Just as an accused individual has the right to face his accuser I believe that we have the right to know how he acquired this information. After all it is the truth that we all want, is it not?
As for your assessment of the BBC I would disagree.
Ron--IF Piers Morgan were actually reporting news, rather than doing a basically evening version of Oprah, you might have a point. He is a 'Pretty face', not a journalist.
Fox has its O'Reilly, and Hannity, but just as guilty of not being JOURNALISTS are Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, and that screaming pock marked other guy. These are NOT reporters, folks, they are 'personalities.' However, you CAN find real news reporters on both those nets--just not during prime ratings time. Because the average viewer does not WANT the news, they want to be entertained, and to have their own views reiterated.
And that goes for BOTH sides.
I'm old enough to remember back to the very beginning of television. In the earliest years, broadcasters were obliged to provide unbiased news coverage as "payment" for free access to the public airways. This was not mandated by law but was an informal agreement between broadcasters and the FCC. In this era news programs were not expected to earn profits and were run at a loss by the networks.
Eventually, networks became intolerant of providing independent journalism at a loss and demanded profit from all programming including the news. This is when bias and "infotainment" became the mainstay of broadcast news. We will never see the likes of the great television journalists again unless we demand financial and content independence for news programming. I doubt that this will ever come to pass.
You can expect that the blatant prostitution and bald faced dishonesty of "infotainment" will continue without restraint as long as market share and profit drive content. If you want honest news then we must demand independent not for profit programming as a fee for the use of the public airwaves. This will work as it did in the past for broadcast media. How to resolve this for cable is another issue.
Completely agree with you. I agree that we will never have true news again. Not only are there economic disincentives to do it, there are also massive political reasons for not doing it. Just as our elected representatives carefully manage what information is released to the public in support of their own careers, control over the public mouthpiece that delineates reality from non-reality is simply too tempting a power for those in power to not use. They will continue to manage what we all believe is real by including things they want us to know about and burying everything that conflicts with their intended message. American News is all a propaganda feed. Even the 'human interest' stories are carefully selected to reinforce certain ways of thinking at the expense of other ways. And most 'journalists' these days are really political operatives with a distinct agenda.
Diogenese--sounds good on paper. But the fact is, WHO would decide whether a network or channel was providing unbiased news?
Certainly not NPR.
Most who want to edit content JUST want to edit content on the sources they don't agree with.
PS--I'm that old too!
This is hilarious, the US says phone hacking is illegal, but they make a law called the Patriot act giving them authorization to do the exact same thing without a court order. What hypocrisy.
I agree. Even the name, "Patriot Act" sounds very Orwellian. Makes it sound like it's "patriotic" to spy on free citizens. For the same reasons, Murdoch's Fox news is just a clever propaganda machine to influence public perceptions. You can't have true power over anyone without consent of the victim.
The flaw to Murdoch's schemes and others that want power and fortune, is what Abraham Lincoln (and later PT Barnum) once said:
starbuck--yup, and while it was dreamed up under Shrub, it was AFFIRMED under the current POTUS and congress.
Rupert Murdoch needs to have his American broadcast liscenses removed.
I can not understand how ANY AMERICAN can watch Fox. Filling the airwaves with bias garbage limits our ability to access objective reporting.
The same can be said for all of "cable news" in general regardless of the network. They are all "talking heads" presenting some agenda without regard to the "whole truth". Forget the national interest, it does not enter into the equation for these "feeds".