on media


Does another humble day beckon for Murdoch?


The media proprietor faces more damage to his reputation, says Raymond Snoddy


T


here are clearly those who believe that the reputation of Rupert Murdoch has no further to fall.


They might well be wrong. There could be a lot more humble pie on the way for the man who famously told MPs about “the most humble day of his life” following the phone hacking scandal at News International’s News of the World. Murdoch wasn’t that humble – the


line had been fed to him by the late Lord Bell, Margaret Thatcher’s PR and advertising guru. Naturally Murdoch said he had been let down by unidentified others and knew nothing about the illegality. As the world reels from the spreading


chaos caused by the second coming of Donald Trump and the US descends into authoritarianism, it must never be forgotten that one of those responsible for the lies that helped create Trump was Murdoch and his Fox News channel. It can even be argued that the


culpability of Fox was greater than that of any other media outlet as they allowed falsehoods to pass unchallenged for fear of losing their hold on their right-wing audience and the billions of dollars they have generated. It wasn’t just about the January 6th attack on the US Capitol but also the channel’s stance on climate change and vaccination. It is all set out in a book by a former


Murdoch editor, Eric Beecher. In The Men Who Killed The News the author ranges through the history of newspapers and many infamous proprietors but obviously there is a starring role for Rupert Keith Murdoch. For Beecher it was the court


revelations in the Dominion case against News that let the cat out of the bag. The voting machine company had been falsely accused on Fox of being involved in rigging the 2020 Presidential election and won a $787 million settlement. The Dominion revelations showed


that “Fox was only about the money. Credible journalism was a façade its Potemkin village” argued Beecher. He added that running “an entire


organisation on lies and quackery” to mollify its audience is the work of a cult not of a broadcaster or a publisher. There can be arguments about how


much Murdoch knew and when, but none that, when he was executive chairman of the company, he had the power to stop the pro-Trump conspiracy theories being broadcast. Surely another very humble day in the life of Murdoch. With Fox, their days in court might not yet be over. Another voting machine company,


Smartmatic, has been given the right to go ahead with a $2 billion claim for allegations made on Fox programmes. Back in the UK there could also be another act in the Murdoch grand opera before the fat lady finally sings. Ironically for the Australian-American republican the ultimate nemesis could come from the Monarchy. Another settlement, though probably


only around £10 million this time, but certainly another humble day as Prince Harry effectively won his long-running intrusion case against News Group Newspapers and The Sun. The newspaper group offered a “full and unequivocal apology” for the damage inflicted on Prince Harry’s relationships, friendships and family by using private investigators to snoop on him. There was an abject admission that some private investigators used by the Sun between 1996 and 2011 had used


unlawful methods to find out information about the Duke of Sussex and his late mother Princess Diana. It was the first time that admissions of


illegality concerning the Sun had been made. Pointedly there was no admission involving journalists or executives and News Group said that there had been no voice interceptions on The Sun. It was also made clear that allegations of a corporate cover-up and destruction of evidence made by Prince Harry would have been “significantly challenged” if they had been put before the court. The clue that this affair may not be


finally over for Murdoch and News Corp came on the pavement outside the High Court from Prince Harry’s somewhat theatrical barrister, David Sherborne. Clearly relishing the occasion Sherborne spoke on behalf of the Prince about a ‘monumental’ victory. “Today the lies are laid bare. Today the


“ ”


The kicker came in the form of a plea from Prince Harry urging the police and Parliament to investigate


cover-ups are exposed. And today proves that no-one is above the law,” said Sherborne. The kicker came in the form of a plea from Prince Harry urging the police and Parliament to investigate. Some have used the case to argue for a second Leveson inquiry to be launched. That won’t happen, not least because the Government said it won’t, and anyway an industry-wide investigation would be disproportionate. However, the Duke of Sussex is right. The police and Parliament should investigate this particular matter to see whether there is evidence of further wrongdoing and above all who knew what and when. Obviously private investigators did not commission or pay themselves. Looking from the outside it doesn’t


look as if the entire story has yet been told. If there is more to come out, who knows, Rupert Murdoch could face yet another humblest day in his life.


theJournalist |09


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