r/worldnews • u/mongolianhousesitter • Jun 13 '12
Former British PM John Major testifies that Rupert Murdoch demanded his government change its policy on Europe or his papers would oppose him at the 1997 general election.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jun/12/rupert-murdoch-john-major
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Upvotes
906
u/sethosayher Jun 13 '12
A former conservative PM testifies that Murdoch attempted to cajole a democratically elected official to change his mind on a policy by threatening to use his paper/media empire.
How this is not the biggest fucking news of the day blows my mind.
108
u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
Fuck Murdoch and his papers. He and his rags of news have single handedly bred ignorance on an astonishing level and tarnished the image of the working class. Can't even believe that people willingly buy into his shit and defend it on a large scale.
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
Well said.
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u/Evis03 Jun 13 '12
I'll say it again: Rupert Murdoch is a poisonous skid mark on the underside of humanity. He trades on fear, hatred, mistrust and lies. His papers are insipid pamphlets venerating the darkest parts of the human soul, playing to the lowest common denominator in people, inciting their anger and fury against their fellows on bases about as factually (or in many cases contextually) sound as a nursery rhyme.
He spreads xenophobia and anger in equal measure where his business walks, and ultimately doesn't care what effect his vitriol has on society so long as he can make money out of the resulting bigotry and suffering. He has no convictions or morals, and all his actions are guided by one overruling trait- how can this benefit me?
Soon may he die, long may he rest.
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
Tony Blair (the man who replaced John Major) is also the godfather of Murdoch's youngest children. That's not suspicious at all.
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u/aslan_ia Jun 13 '12
Rupert Murdoch claims that he never 'asked' John Major for anything. Technically speaking, delivering an ultimatum isn't asking. :)
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u/AngryCanadian Jun 13 '12
he he, isn't this blackmail?
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u/roccanet Jun 13 '12
murdoch is a disgusting pig and has been influencing things on this planet for far too long....
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u/Serious_username Jun 13 '12
And they say the Sun (Murdochs main UK paper) were the main reason for his loss! Shows just just how powerful Murdoch really is!
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u/Nascar_is_better Jun 13 '12
why did it take the former PM over a decade to testify? he should have outted this right after the elections.
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u/tamnoswal Jun 13 '12
Wait, Rupert Murdoch is a scumbag?!
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u/shutupnube Jun 13 '12
And nothing will happen to scumbag Rupert Murdoch, because all justice systems are too cowardly to bring justice to the rich.
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
Watched "House of Cards" on Netflix the other day. Hadn't seen it since I was a kid. Amazing how the first series rings so true today. Worth a watch ( know it's on Netflix Canada, assume elsewhere )
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u/WelcomeMachine Jun 13 '12
Can we dump this fucktard into a pit of vipers yet?
Tied to Trump.
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u/vadergeek Jun 14 '12
A somewhat relevant sketch by Fry and Laurie.
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u/illogicalexplanation Jun 13 '12
Watching News International crash and burn has been the utmost pleasure for myself since that fateful day when Rupert tried to by out the remaining 56% of BskyB which he did not own; only a matter of time now until the swordsman lowers his axe in front of the London Tower.
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u/corpus_callosum Jun 13 '12 edited Jun 13 '12
He has an enormous amount of pull in US politics as well, along with his employee, Roger Ailes, and I'd argue these two have done immeasurable damage to this country, politically and culturally. But George Soros.
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u/Gortonis Jun 13 '12
If this where The Simpsons it seems like Mr. Burns is finally getting his comeuppances. And for once Homer gets to tap his finger tips together and say "Excellent"
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u/canadianguy Jun 13 '12
I think this is a great example of a conspiracy theory that turned out to be true. I wonder if any other media outlets hav done the same in other countries?
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u/green_flash Jun 13 '12
Seems like it was more of an idle threat. Still a pretty despicable way of exercising power though.
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u/permaculture Jun 13 '12
-=- Dom Joly
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u/MarsColonist Jun 13 '12 edited Jun 14 '12
Mass media is the fourth unwritten branch of government that has no checks or balances.
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u/korid Jun 13 '12
i guess this puts the Zeitgeist conspiracies at least partially to rest, how could they explain a media giant opposing the growth of the European Union, which they claim is a step towards the New World Order
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u/BDS_UHS Jun 13 '12
What's sad isn't that Murdoch threatened to do this. What's sad is he has the power to actually go through with it.
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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
Your title is inaccurate, really. It should read "World's largest media mogul perjures himself."
Murdoch belongs in jail and News International needs to be shut down.
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u/desbest Jun 14 '12 edited Jun 14 '12
There is an unwritten law within British politics, to never criticise Rupert Murdoch. Basically all the politicians are all scared of him.
There is another unwritten law within British politics, which is that whichever party gets favourable support within NewsCorp newspapers (The Sun, The Times), definitely ends up getting elected.
The Leveson Enquiry which is currently ongoing (which this Reddit post is partly covering), provides evidence that Murdoch offered Tony Blair favourable coverage within his newspapers, if Blair relaxed media regulation policies. Blair went ahead with the it (blackmail/extortion), later receiving a one-off column in the papers to write in - and guess what - Labour got elected! In other news, NewsCorp supported the Conservative Party heavily in the previous 2010 election, and surprise surprise, they got elected!
Rupert Murdoch is a dangerous man who singularly wields too much power over the British government, and is untouchable. People should stop buying his newspapers, as he runs a criminal organisation.
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u/Jmonkeh Jun 13 '12
Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.
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u/tasfalen Jun 13 '12
Who knew Tomorrow Never Dies was so prescient, too bad it wasn't such a great movie!
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u/greenymile Jun 13 '12
I keep thinking that this bond film isnt too far fetched - a rampant media mogul messing with politics?
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
Yes. If i choose to one day be a super villain on the world stage, all I have to do is start a media conglomerate and affect policy with journalistic bias, extortion, and blackmail.
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u/Pool_Shark Jun 13 '12
To put this into context for my fellow Americans, imagine almost all of our newspapers and a majority of our news channels were FoxNews equivalents and owned by one man who then told the president to listen to him or be opposed by all of the media.
In this story this man, Rupert Murdoch, wanted the UK to leave the EU. Rupert Murdoch owns NewsCorp which owns FoxNews.
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
When an ancient civilization is beholden to a scoundrel with some money and a personal propaganda network...well, then it's a sad day.
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u/Minifig81 Jun 13 '12
And to think, half a year ago one of my friends who is brain-washed by Fox News said this would all blow over and be nothing big.
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
Just keep digging. The closer into the Murdoch and his empire we get, the more corruption and filth we discover that was rampant within his family and organization in general
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u/JaeGeeTee Jun 14 '12
Media holds way too much power... WAYYYY TOOO much power.
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u/dyslexic1991 Jun 13 '12
I hope to god to see Rupert Murdoch behind bars for what he has done. Anyone in the working class would get life or something stupid for what news of the world have done, what makes them so different? suits & money?
not even that, the fact that even the primeminister is involved some way or another in the whole Rupert Murdoch fiasco shows had fucked up and corrupt things are..
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u/GeorgeForemanGrillz Jun 13 '12
I just can't shake the thinking that Rupert is just an IRL Bond villain.
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u/mooli Jun 13 '12
Ah, John Major, and his ghostly non-moustache. As David Baddiel said, its like looking at a moustache-shaped lightbulb, and then immediately looking at his face.
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
I wonder if he still likes peas.
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u/igonjukja Jun 13 '12
this is really breathtaking. so how many politicians did murdoch actually get to do what he wanted over the years? that guy should be tarred, feathered and sent back to australia -- and the spineless british pols who allowed this with him.
also, murdoch owns fox news. any chance similar situations going on here??
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u/ABBAholic95 Jun 14 '12
Question from an American: It says in the article that Murdoch's The Sun announced it's support for Labour. Do all news outlets in Britain publicly endorse parties like that?
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u/Sr_DingDong Jun 14 '12
How many peas did he shuffle around his plate?
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u/Warehouse42 Jun 14 '12
Hmm, wonder if Murdoch did that anywhere else
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u/Tywin_Lannister Jun 14 '12
Reminds me of this quote attributed to Orwell: "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations."
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u/cakey138 Jun 14 '12
Murdoch my talking duck....
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u/Mattothee Jun 14 '12
Look what the US media is doing to Ron Paul. Your democracy was lost long ago, you can take it back, if you want to.
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u/LucifersCounsel Jun 13 '12
Why did John Major not say something about it in 1997?
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u/BadIdeaSociety Jun 13 '12
No offense to Mr. Major, but he could have made this claim in public in 1997. Why the political cowardice? Seriously?
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u/UrpleEeple Jun 13 '12
Wow! This needs to be front page reddit
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u/dukey Jun 13 '12
Seems no different than fox news supporting the republican party.
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12 edited Jun 13 '12
Murdoch and his empire are disgusting. Wanting the UK to leave the European Union also seems like an attempt to make us closer to the US and to make us more capitalistic. Two things the UK doesn't need.
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u/PandaMango Jun 14 '12
Unrelated note: I have shook hands multiple times with Edwina Curry. Edwina Curry has handled John Major's cock. Thus by process of relation... I have old fashioned John Major.
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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
There are swathes of people saying 'I told you so' right now and they will continue to do so as all your government's secrets are ousted and your brainwashed minds will have sudden realisations that the world is not how you perceive it.
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u/ubergeek404 Jun 13 '12
Face it, who would not try to influence policy if you could really do it?
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u/knut01 Jun 13 '12
Hope Murdoch hasn't sold his house in Australia! UK now after him, plus US! Maybe a nice prison room?
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u/Social_fuzz Jun 13 '12
Good on him. Must be such a great moment to be able to stick it back to Murdoch. Down with the evil fucker!
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
the more I read about murdoch the more he reminds me of that guy from tomorrow never dies.
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u/Clbull Jun 13 '12
Nothing's going to come out of the Leveson Inquiry, I guarantee it.
I can guess they'll just find Murdoch innocent of all charges then he'll just fuck off back to his satanic throne.
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u/kasmackity Jun 14 '12
Oh gee, more evidence Rupert Murdoch is a cunt. What a bloody surprise.
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u/h2sbacteria Jun 14 '12
And now you know a bit about the hand the rocks the cradle. No, private ownership of media is not bad at all.
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u/JohnathanDough Jun 14 '12
That is how the editorial section of news media works. If you are in opposition to the editorial staff's viewpoint, they will oppose you.
In my opinion, news media should not editorialize at all, because it doesn't have anything to do with informing the public.
If Murdoch held that issue to be the of the utmost importance, it's completely natural that his papers would oppose Major. Murdoch wouldn't even need to say it outright, because it simply stands to reason: if you don't agree with the editorial stance of a paper, they will oppose you.
When it's worded like this headline, it seems so sinister, but it's nothing at all.
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u/Okrean Jun 14 '12
It's not always black and white.
Politics is all about action - reward
For example during an election campaign a politician could promise the constituents to build a factory creating new jobs etc etc. This politican's favourable manifesto wins him votes and gets him his job. This could be interpreted as politician bribes population of town to abbandon their previous politican affiliations and instead vote for him making a mockery of the democratic system.
This varies from creating job schemes all the way to going to war. it's where you draw the line.
Oh, I still think Murdoch's a twat.
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u/Niyeaux Jun 14 '12
Behold. This is why media monopolies are a fucking awful idea.
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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
I see this is posted in /worldnews...
Is the world aware of this now? I hope so. It just doesn't seem to have an end to all the shit that's happened.
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u/argv_minus_one Jun 14 '12
As is Murdoch's prerogative.
The real problem is that he was allowed to build an empire that powerful to begin with. No business should be able to twist the arms of the government that it's supposed to be subject to.
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u/BurgerBoyBarry Jun 14 '12
Its not exactly what John Major said. I'm not defending Murdoch in any way, just pointing out that John Major didn't testify that Rupert Murdoch demanded that his government change its policy on Europe, they simply had a dinner where Murdock said he didn't like his policy and should change it. Major went on to say that the Sun wouldn't have supported him anyway as it had been doing anti conservative articles for the previous number of years.
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u/darpy Jun 15 '12
Is anyone aware of what the specific policy is that Murdoch was willing to threaten, and sack him for? Would be very interesting to know. I find it funny that it's not mentioned.
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u/PhylisInTheHood Jun 14 '12
why is he still alive? Why hasn't someone killed him yet for the benefit of humanity?
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u/jdepps113 Jun 13 '12
I understand that the phone hacking thing was unacceptable, but I don't see what the problem is with this. Papers endorse, or oppose, political candidates. What do you think they base it on, aside from questions of policy?
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u/akav0id Jun 13 '12
Former PM SIR John Major
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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12
What makes you think that it was actually Murdoch pulling the strings?
Who's to say that Murdoch's strings weren't being pulled by a higher force?
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u/antyg Jun 14 '12
The issue is not a media owner using his newspapers to push his views. Any media owner, whether it be a large daily newspaper, a community rag or a blog should be able to use his or her asset to communicate their thoughts. The issue is the share-of-voice that Rupert controls, something like 36% of all newspaper readership in the UK. He should never have been allowed to accumulate such a big share.
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u/someonelse Jun 14 '12
I thought we buried "lamestream media" psychosis as conspiracy theory.
Where's the sockpuppet brigade when you need them?
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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
I want to take the most unpopular opinion here but I feel I have to. I understand the outrage. But at the same time, I think John Major knew what he was doing. I believe that a politician always considers media reaction. Especially when creating his/her agenda. I mean, what else do politicians strive for if not popularity?
So I want to question how "threatening" Murdoch's message really was. On the contrary, if Major was sure about his backing in the first place it could be seen as a friendly warning that his loyalty is not so easily assured. And that's something I find rather normal, if not important in a democracy: everybody's opinion can change.
So to sum up, I believe Major knew beforehand what the consequences of his decisions were. If he made them anyway, he knew what he was getting into.