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Letter: Murdoch has own agenda


Ted Turner once described Rupert Murdoch as being the most dangerous man in the world. Such a comment seems extreme, but there may be a grain of truth in it. Currently, the Murdoch empire is consolidating resources to buy Time Warner, another huge media outlet. Although currently unsuccessful, Murdoch is known for his persistence in such matters. It would be disaster if he succeeds. His propaganda machine, Fox News, is hardly fair and balanced. Fox has a reputation of reporting half-truths, distortions and blatant political favoritism.

In Britain, where his media influence reigned supreme, prime ministers once called on him for political support. Fortunately, Murdoch’s nefarious methods in the UK were exposed and he lost much of his clout. In this country, however, Fox continues to be highly successful with slick programing and disinformation. His lopsided political viewpoint holds sway over millions of viewers.

Of course, the counter argument is that MSNBC is guilty of the same practice, an argument of some merit. However, not all of their discussion programs are so heavily biased against Republicans. For example, MSNBC offers a strong, viable Republican viewpoint with “Morning Joe.” Joe Scrarborough, a solid Republican, brings a refreshing breath of honesty to the political discussion. Scarborough makes many thought-provoking pro-Republican arguments. His viewpoint is credible because he is unafraid to objectively criticize himself and his party, something totally lacking in Fox News.

If Murdoch is ultimately successful in acquiring Time Warner, and if we want unbiased news about what is happening in this country, we may have to get it from foreign sources.

We need to be vigilant about media giants such as Murdoch. Their personal agendas and huge monetary influences are dangerous to democracy.