Hold Rupert Murdoch Accountable

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

19 July 11

ho really cares how much direct knowledge Rupert Murdoch had of the specifics in the ever-expanding scandal that currently is dominating the news cycle? If we had isolated incidents that didn't rise to a climate of corruption, then punish those "responsible" and move on.

That is not the case. The rot in News Corp. is spreading every day with no end in sight. It's not a few bad reporters, just like it was not a few bad troops at Abu Ghraib. Let's not make the same mistake made in the torture scandal. Those responsible got away with knowingly violating the law while the grunts got prosecuted.

What has happened to those responsible for the poor state of our economy? They got bailed out and got bonuses. The victims lose their homes and their jobs while the perpetrators get rewarded or rescued because they are "too big to fail."

I guess it has always been this way; the rich and powerful can always get away unless there is a richer, more powerful entity that needs a fall guy. Ok, there are some exceptions, but they are becoming rarer every day.

Rupert Murdoch has made a living off lowering journalistic standards both at what are supposed to be credible news sources, and sleazy tabloids. So that little company that he claims he paid little attention to, "maybe a call on a Saturday Night once a month," got caught. What is Murdoch's cowardly response when asked if he is ultimately responsible? "No." When asked who is responsible he said, "People I trusted, and people they trusted."

So what happened to Rupert Murdoch's famous hands-on management style? Is he an incompetent bumbling idiot that had no knowledge of what was going on in his company? If you believe that I have swampland in Arizona that I can sell to you.

Murdoch's performance today can only be summed up by one word: "Pathetic." He clearly is not a leader who would take responsibility for the actions of his company. Even if he was not in the loop, an atmosphere existed that allowed countless illegal acts to take place. News Corp. under Rupert Murdoch became and is a criminal enterprise. It doesn't matter if he thinks he is responsible, he must be held accountable.

The FCC is responsible for holding the privileged few that are allowed to broadcast accountable. A company with so little respect for the rule of law and journalistic standards should not be allowed the privilege to broadcast in our country. The best way to hold Rupert Murdoch accountable would be to force him to sell all FOX broadcasting companies to a responsible party, an entity that respects the law.

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.