I’ve just finished reading Breaking News: Sex, Lies & The Murdoch Succession by Paul Barry. This is an excellent book – I highly recommend it. It documents the facts of the dreadful phone hacking scandal and contemplates the future leadership of the new split News businesses. The author, Paul Barry, extensively documents his sources. His writing style is that of informed reported more than commentator.
Anyone criticising this book as a hatchet job against the Murdochs would be wrong. It is well-researched and well-written. There are no cheap shots against the Murdochs. There don’t need to be since the evidence relating to the phone hacking is damning.
Breaking News: Sex, Lies & The Murdoch Succession documents how News Corp. has leveraged its power to the detriment of the community which it serves and how the company has not held itself to account to the same standard it uses when targeting politicians it does not support.
I highly recommend it – especially to newsagents.
While the book does not cover the Australian News Corp. assets in any substantial detail, the book informs the reader of practices engaged in by company representatives in the UK. This information coupled with the obvious bias of the News Corp. press here makes an urgent case for diluting the concentration of media ownership.
One only has to recall the coverage in the News Corp. newspapers here over the last few years hunting down the Labor Government of the day and their lack of interest in the latest travel federal politician travel rorts scandal to realise that they are not fearlessly pursuing the truth – unless it suits their agenda.
Anyone interested in this should watch “Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story”. Its a dramatization but (assuming there is truth in whats depicted) it shows the thinking going on when Rupert started the Oz all those years ago where he clearly intended it from day one to be biased in favor of whichever political party he was in favor of at any given time.
Did anyone notice Rupert’s absence at the opening day of the trial of REBECCA (HIS NOTW EDITOR).
When the scandal broke he was by her side saying “we have to look after this girl” and suddenly he is missing.
Wonder if he’s paying for her legal representation.
Ruthless, ruthless man.