TotallyOz Posted July 13, 2011 Posted July 13, 2011 I have been happily reading daily of the problems with News Corps problems in Great Britain. He just announced that he will drop his bid for BSKYB. He is also being summoned before Parliament. Should he not appear, he may be bidding goodbye to all his News International holdings in GB. As I have never understood the draw to Fox News, I am hoping that the fallout will continue over to the USA. It started with Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said that US laws may also have been violated. He also said he wanted an investigation into whether or not 911 Victim Families phones were hacked. I have been able to find no credible references to this at all but just saying that will cause outrage and perhaps a groundswell in the USA that will send this pig back to the Outback! Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted July 13, 2011 Members Posted July 13, 2011 ... that will send this pig back to the Outback! Not likely. He and his son are American citizens. About the best possible outcome would result in Fox News being sold off. Unless a Gates or Buffet make an offer that cannot be refused it would probably still survive another owner with Roger Ailes still presiding and infecting the airways with right wing propaganda masquerading as news. Else the cable channel would become just another floundering attempt to accompany MSNBC and CNN. Quote
Guest gcursor Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 Of course, wire-tapping is nothing new in the corporate world. A case that caught my eye was from 2007 when computer manufacturer HP was having troubles figuring out where a "corporate leak" was coming from. Carly Fiorinia (the CEO at the time) authorized a private detective to do what is now called "pretexting"...the detective would call the phone company to get phone records illegally of the various HP board members. Eventually the leak was discovered this way As a result, Carly was asked to resign her position. She later got very involved in politics and addressed the Republican National Convention. *shudder* The next CEO (Patricia C Dunn) that came in was also forced out rather quickly attributing the resignation as being the culprit/scapegoat of the "wiretap scandal". Charges against her were later dismissed by a judge who stated they were dropped "in the interest of justice" The company HP was taken to court for various wire-tap charges and all were dismissed after paying a fine. So yes Virginia...bad companies are all around..the secret is that most of them hope they never get caught. Quote
Members MsGuy Posted July 15, 2011 Members Posted July 15, 2011 Rebekah Brooks finally went down under heavy fire. No one left now to fling to the angry villagers but James Murdock and that would screw up all the succession plans. Times must be getting desperate in Castle Murdock. ---- Wonder whether Ms. Brooks will stay loyal if the police insist on her "assisting in their inquiries?" As Nixon discovered, it's a rare subordinate who will jump on the grenade for you. Quote
Members MsGuy Posted July 16, 2011 Members Posted July 16, 2011 Rupert with three of the dearly departed in happier days: Les Hinton, Andy Coulson, & Rebekah Brooks. ---- Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones (WSJ) and formerly head of News Corp International, resigns after 52 years of loyal service. Rupert praised his integrity . Quote
Guest Allessio77 Posted July 16, 2011 Posted July 16, 2011 Some unexpected GOOD news for a change. Don't get much when everyone is tripping over each other to cut SS and Medicare while approving new funding for our 6 wars (Plus the war on drugs) Quote
Members seattlebottom Posted July 16, 2011 Members Posted July 16, 2011 Rupert with three of the dearly departed in happier days: Les Hinton, Andy Coulson, & Rebekah Brooks. ---- Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones (WSJ) and formerly head of News Corp International, resigns after 52 years of loyal service. Rupert praised his integrity . This is how I imagine all right wingers to look like. What a bunch of unfortunate looking people. Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted July 16, 2011 Members Posted July 16, 2011 Rupert with three of the dearly departed in happier days: Les Hinton, Andy Coulson, & Rebekah Brooks. ---- Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones (WSJ) and formerly head of News Corp International, resigns after 52 years of loyal service. Rupert praised his integrity . The look none too happy there either. Quote
Members KYTOP Posted July 16, 2011 Members Posted July 16, 2011 He may be having a rough time but I think his Downfall is far from happening. Do you like the show Glee? Owned by Murdoch's News Corp. Do you like American Idol? Yep Murdoch owns it too. Did you enjoy the Blockbuster Movie Avatar? Guess what, Yep another Rupert Murdoch property. 20 Century Fox, Fox entertainment TV network and channels, British, Australian and American Newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, Fox News and the major stockholder in Britian's SKY News, even if he is now pulling back from complete ownership. His media holdings are so vast and huge, I think it will be hard to hold him personally accountable for what happens at each property he holds, especially each article each of his papers runs and how they got that info. So we may Glee for the singing Glee kids on his TV show but I think we shall not be Gleeing about his downfall anytime soon. Quote
TotallyOz Posted July 17, 2011 Author Posted July 17, 2011 I think his downfall is falling from the graces of politicians. He may have once been the king maker or Prime Minister maker of GB. Through his papers, he has immense power. I am not sure that will be the case for the future. I guess only time will tell, but I see him as fallen from power in GB. I hope that same happens in the USA. Quote
TotallyOz Posted July 17, 2011 Author Posted July 17, 2011 Here is Larry Flynt's take on the scandal. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/larry-flynt-rupert-murdoch-went-too-far/2011/07/13/gIQA9ifnGI_story.html?hpid=z2 Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted July 17, 2011 Members Posted July 17, 2011 He may be having a rough time but I think his Downfall is far from happening. I agree. However, it has weakened him tremenously and given his age not sure he can bounce all the way back. I think this will taint his son irrevocably. Most of the business entities will go on with or without him. Do you like the show Glee? Owned by Murdoch's News Corp. Do you like American Idol? Yep Murdoch owns it too. Did you enjoy the Blockbuster Movie Avatar? Guess what, Yep another Rupert Murdoch property. Personally I don't watch any of them with the exception of Glee infrequently so I wouldn't miss them. 20 Century Fox, Fox entertainment TV network and channels, British, Australian and American Newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, Fox News and the major stockholder in Britian's SKY News, even if he is now pulling back from complete ownership. With the possible exceptions of losing a few papers in the UK and Australia, they will go on with or without him. His media holdings are so vast and huge, I think it will be hard to hold him personally accountable for what happens at each property he holds, especially each article each of his papers runs and how they got that info. So we may Glee for the singing Glee kids on his TV show but I think we shall not be Gleeing about his downfall anytime soon. I think this gives him an unwarranted pass. The News of the World was his flagship news organization -- very powerful in Gr. Britain. You bet he kept an eye on it through his hand chosen minions and on his own. This guy didn't get to where he is by losing touch with his business operations. Couple that with the fact that there appear to be hundreds of intances, if not more, over years of phone hacking of politicans, government leaders and individual persons of no particular celebrity other than misfortune that had befallen them, and bribes to law enforcement too. It is hard not to believe that either he knew how this information was being gathered or alternatively that he proactively chose not to know for plausible deniability. At the worst his actions were criminal, at the best, gross managerial malfeasance. Malfeasance doesn't go with his track record over the last fifty years. However, I expect that they won't tie him directly to it. It will stop with his son, the woman running the UK operation and the Wall St Journal top guy, her former boss way back when. Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted July 17, 2011 Members Posted July 17, 2011 I think his downfall is falling from the graces of politicians. He may have once been the king maker or Prime Minister maker of GB. Through his papers, he has immense power. I am not sure that will be the case for the future. I guess only time will tell, but I see him as fallen from power in GB. I hope that same happens in the USA. He may have crapped irrevocably in his UK nest. I think he'll be happy to consolidate his holdings in the USA at this stage of his life and let most of the UK go. That is assuming they do not find any smoking guns over here. If he can hold on to some UK papers he may try but if circulation falls too low or his stockholders start bailing on him he'll sell out while they have value. The question is: do any potential new owners want the tainted properties. There have been rumors of attempts to sell some of the papers with no takers so far. Quote
TotallyOz Posted July 17, 2011 Author Posted July 17, 2011 And, his darling Rebekah Brooks has just been arrested in connection with the scandal. She had an interview with the police and when she showed up, they arrested her on suspicion of corruption and phone hacking. This was the lady that Rupert flew to England and made his top priority. Looks like the dominoes keep falling for poor old Rupert. Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted July 17, 2011 Members Posted July 17, 2011 And, his darling Rebekah Brooks has just been arrested in connection with the scandal. She had an interview with the police and when she showed up, they arrested her on suspicion of corruption and phone hacking. This was the lady that Rupert flew to England and made his top priority. Looks like the dominoes keep falling for poor old Rupert. i wonder if this is part of the cover up? Yeah, I sound like a Conspiracy Theory type here. However, this will certainly stifle her testimony before Parliament. just in time. You'd think the police might have the presence of mind to wait until after that testimony for obvious reasons. I don't think she was a real flight risk. Flight to where? Just curious. I'm not usually a Conspiracy type but one must admit that the arrest timing is very ill chosen. Quote
Members MsGuy Posted July 18, 2011 Members Posted July 18, 2011 Slightly off topic, but I loved today's Guardian headline: "Sir Paul Stephenson's resignation: Sir Paul's Parthian shot" Does an American editor breathe that would allow such an obscure classical reference as "Parthian shot" in the header of an important story? Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted July 18, 2011 Members Posted July 18, 2011 Slightly off topic, but I loved today's Guardian headline: Does an American editor breathe that would allow such an obscure classical reference as "Parthian shot" in the header of an important story? The English upper crust are nothing if not classicists. Quote
TotallyOz Posted July 18, 2011 Author Posted July 18, 2011 Do you think Rebekah Brooks knew about the phone hacking? What will happen to the Murdochs and the rest of News Corporation? I think Rupert's wife said Rebekah was an evil bitch for destroying their empire (or something along those lines). Will she turn in Papa Bear or Baby Bear? Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted July 18, 2011 Members Posted July 18, 2011 Do you think Rebekah Brooks knew about the phone hacking? What will happen to the Murdochs and the rest of News Corporation? I think Rupert's wife said Rebekah was an evil bitch for destroying their empire (or something along those lines). Will she turn in Papa Bear or Baby Bear? Do you really think these people do not know where the grist for their mill comes from... unless they do not want to know? Come on. These were sensational stories with apparently inside info. Come on! Quote
Members lookin Posted July 18, 2011 Members Posted July 18, 2011 Apparently, when Rebekah Brooks announced to staff that the News of the World was closing, she said "Worse revelations are yet to come and you will understand in a year why we closed News of the World". I was struck by that statement and expect more shoes to drop over a period of time. Rupert Murdoch appears to have set journalism back a hundred years, and I regret that his tentacles extend to this country. Still, 'we the people' have to accept our share of the responsibility for agreeing to consume his tripe as if it's anything close to accurate reporting. Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted July 18, 2011 Members Posted July 18, 2011 Apparently, when Rebekah Brooks announced to staff that the News of the World was closing, she said "Worse revelations are yet to come and you will understand in a year why we closed News of the World". I was struck by that statement and expect more shoes to drop over a period of time. Rupert Murdoch appears to have set journalism back a hundred years, and I regret that his tentacles extend to this country. Still, 'we the people' have to accept our share of the responsibility for agreeing to consume his tripe as if it's anything close to accurate reporting. Interesting comment of her's that I had not heard before. Thanks for reporting it here. Murdoch set journalism back long before this. As for Americans consuming his tripe, that has been more limited IMO than your comment espouses. True, he has infected the NY market and a small corner of the viewing public with Cable Trash News. IMO the far worse infection he has transmitted has been to our main stream press which seeming has bought in to the legitimacy of his trash news operations -- at least publicly, and assisted in propagating Murdoch's trash. Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 I don't know whether you guys have seen "Ever After" (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800021580/info) but in that movie the prince is so mesmerizing. I always want to be like Danielle. Unfortunately Kate Middlton took my spot. Anyways, Danielle quotes the author of Utopia, Thomas More: "For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them. " — Thomas More We don't live in an ideal society, do we? I don't approve what New Corps did. But they were able to perpetrate it because of a lot of hidden accomplices. Where do you think the tools they used came from? I find a big irony in that. Quote
Members Lucky Posted July 19, 2011 Members Posted July 19, 2011 There was also another person who claimed that more revelations would be forthcoming, and he is now dead. Sean Hoare, the original whistleblower, told a story that is quite interesting, especially in light of the events that followed: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/news-of-the-world-sean-hoare Quote
Members Lucky Posted July 19, 2011 Members Posted July 19, 2011 Can someone please tell me what this post means and what its relevance to the British scandal is? "For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them. " — Thomas More We don't live in an ideal society, do we? I don't approve what New Corps did. But they were able to perpetrate it because of a lot of hidden accomplices. Where do you think the tools they used came from? I find a big irony in that." ***** Quote
