Speak half-truth to power

Sydney Morning Herald journalist Mark Coultan explains the latest thinking of Rupert Murdoch:

Rupert Murdoch, the most powerful media mogul in America, has decided he wants to help get Hillary Clinton elected.

Mr Murdoch, whose media outlets included Fox News and the New York Post hounded President Bill Clinton when he was in office and have attacked his wife since before she was elected a senator in 2000, has decided to host a political fund-raiser for her on behalf of News Corporation, according to the Financial Times.

The paper reported that Senator Clinton attended the 10th anniversary of a Fox television program recently where she was seen chatting with Mr Murdoch.… 

All highly unsurprising, considering the fact that Rupert’s focus is the maintenance of power, no matter who is holding the cards. Then Coultan adds this:

Though it would be a mistake to think that Mr Murdoch’s media outlets slavishly follow his own political leanings…

Even the Fairfax press can’t bring itself to acknowledge the obvious. The Murdoch rags talk about democracy, freedom and human rights, but this is nothing more than empty rhetoric. Keeping close to power is vital, whatever the human cost. If the Australian newspaper, for example, senses that the Howard government is on the way out, it will have no hesitation in switching sides to support the ALP. Principle and policy have nothing to do with it. Besides, find any major Murdoch publication that hasn’t wholly backed the fictitious “war on terror.”

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