Social Responsibility of Journalism & Media: News of the World and the Murdoch Media Empire Professor Eric Freedman 3 November 2011 ericinlithuania.wordpress.com
Common Themes Professional ethical standards in theory and in practice. Conflicts between multiple roles of journalists as professionals & citizens. Impact of changing communication technologies & economic models on ethical practices.
Lecture Outline The scope of the Murdoch empire The News of the World hacking scandal Pattern of corporate & professional corruption in News Corp. Ramifications of the scandal in the UK & elsewhere “Little Murdoch's” in other countries
Glossary Self-censorship: practice of journalists not reporting legitimate stories for fear of retaliation or punishment Media credibility: public trust in the truth of what the press reports
Discussion Points Where is the border between proper & improper relationships between media organizations & the politicians they cover? Should different ethical standards apply in different countries, and why?
Partial Holdings: News Corp. United States Fox Television (including Fox TV, Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Sports,) 20th Century Fox Wall Street Journal -- New York Post Dow Jones -- HarperCollins United Kingdom The Sun -- The Times News of the World Europe SKY Italia -- BSkyB (majority holding) Sky Deutschland -- FOXTEL Australia The Australian -- The Courier-Mail The Daily Telegraph -- The Mercury Others Russian radio stations Russia Nashe & Best FM LNT TV & TV5 Riga (Latvia)
Milly Dowler
Rupert Murdoch
James Murdoch
Rebecca Brooks
Andy Coulson
David Cameron
Rupert Murdoch Live -l0 -l0 MPK8 MPK8 k4g k4g fcU fcU
Sir Paul Stephenson
Fox News 17 th century colonial press in America “The press was not merely partisan; it was at times vile, crude, unjust, more of a blight on the communities to which it reported than a service, a means of inciting more than informing.” –Eric Burns, Infamous Scribblers 21 st century Fox News in America “Fear is precisely what it is selling: The network has relentlessly hyped phantom menaces like the planned "terror mosque" near Ground Zero, inspiring Florida pastor Terry Jones to torch the Koran. To watch even a day of Fox News - the anger, the bombast, the virulent paranoid streak, the unending appeals to white resentment, the reporting that's held to the same standard of evidence as a pre-election attack ad” – Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone Magazine
British coverage of News of the World closing