Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH
share
email
font size
options
 
Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire media impressario who gave you Bill O'Reilly, the latest incarnation of Glenn Beck, the New York Post, and other wonders of the modern media world, also owns some of the largest newspapers in the United Kingdom. And Over There, he's allegedly up to no good:

Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers has paid out more than £1m to settle legal cases that threatened to reveal evidence of his journalists' repeated involvement in the use of criminal methods to get stories.

The payments secured secrecy over out-of-court settlements in three cases that threatened to expose evidence of Murdoch journalists using private investigators who illegally hacked into the mobile phone messages of numerous public figures and to gain unlawful access to confidential personal data including tax records, social security files, bank statements and itemised phone bills. Cabinet ministers, MPs, actors and sports stars were all targets of the private investigators.

Today, the Guardian reveals details of the suppressed evidence which may open the door to hundreds more legal actions by victims of News Group, the Murdoch company that publishes the News of the World and the Sun, as well as provoking police inquiries into reporters who were involved and the senior executives responsible for them.

My initial reaction was to wonder whether Murdoch's evil henchmen could be up to the same tricks here in the States. But then it occurred to me that I couldn't think of a single interesting news story that Fox News Channel has ever broken, which suggests it's unlikely that they've been going to all that trouble to spy on people. Here in America, Murdoch makes a boatload more money "reporting" on the warped interconnections of Bill O'Reilly's brain than he would by hacking some senator's text messages.

Posted by Will Bunch @ 8:30 PM  Permalink | 19 comments
Comments   
Posted 08:40 PM, 07/08/2009
Mr. Smith
Here in the US, we just have the NYT criminally revealing national security secrets whenever they get a chance. Rank amateurs compared with Murdoch's henchmen who uncover important things like who is dating whom...
Posted 08:43 PM, 07/08/2009
Vandy
"I couldn't think of a single interesting news story that Fox News Channel has ever broken." I was thinking the same thing about MSNBC and Olbermann, Maddow, etc. Remember this hard-hitting interview that Olbermann conducted with Obama? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc3f2y5nk3U
Posted 09:12 PM, 07/08/2009
ET
Did Murdoch break the Lenny Dykstra story too?
Comment removed.
Posted 09:43 PM, 07/08/2009
Norton
I forgot, MSNBC's Hardball broke that titillating story of an anchor that gets a warm and tingly feeling running up and down his leg when he sees the Pres speak. Pulitzer worthy I'm sure.
Posted 10:01 PM, 07/08/2009
waynoNE
Or Bill O'Reilly refusing to back off of a case of a child rapist getting one year in prison.
Posted 10:13 PM, 07/08/2009
Archimedes
Do they have "social security files" in the U.K.?
Posted 10:17 PM, 07/08/2009
SBVFT Contributor
Justice Ginsburg from this coming Sunday’s issue of the New York Times Magazine: "Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of." YOU STAY CLASSY RUTHY.
Posted 10:51 PM, 07/08/2009
will
Swifty, isn't that just a paraphrase of what Nixon was recorded on tape saying (that is, favoring abortion for interracial children." But it would have made more sense if she had said "they" instead of "we." Not good. I'm sure Drudge is all over it.
Comment removed.
Comment removed.
Posted 11:12 PM, 07/08/2009
SBVFT Contributor
Essentially yes Will. But Nixon's worm food right now & Ruth is currently sitting on the SC. The quote will be ignored is my guess except for some conservative blogs perhaps. I found it on The Corner.
Comment removed.
Posted 12:26 AM, 07/09/2009
Packard Goose
It can't happen here... It can't happen here... I'm telling you, my dear...That it can't happen here... Because I been checkin' it out, baby... I checked it out a couple a times... But I'm telling you... It can't happen here... Oh darling, it's important that you believe me (Bop bop bop bop)... That it can't happen here... Who could imagine that they would freak out somewhere... in Kansas... (Kansas -- Kansas -- Kansas -- Kansas)... (Kansas, Kansas, do-do-dun to-to... Kansas, Kansas, la la la)...(Kansas, Kansas, do-do-dun to-to Kansas, Kansas)... Who could imagine that they would freak out in Minnesota... (Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi... Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi)... (Mama Minnesota, Mama Minnesota, Mama Minnesota, Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma Mama Minnesota, Mama Minnesota, Mama Minnesota, Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma Mama Minnesota) Who could imagine... Who could imagine... That they would freak out in Washington, D.C. (AC/DC bop-bop-bop)... (AC/DC do-do-do-dun, AC/DC Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, AC/DC)... But it can't happen here... Oh baby, it can't happen here... (AC/DC bop-bop-bop)... Oh baby, it can't happen here... (AC/DC bop-bop-bop)... It can't happen here... Everybody's safe and it can't happen here... (AC/DC bop-bop-bop)... No freaks for us... (AC/DC bop-bop-bop)... It can't happen here... (AC/DC bop-bop-bop)... Everybody's clean and it can't happen here... No, no, it won't happen here... (No, no, it won't happen here)... (AC/DC bop-bop-bop)... I'm telling you it can't... (AC/DC bop-bop-bop) It won't happen here... Bop-bop-ditty-bop... (I'm not worried at all, I'm not worried at all)... Ditty-bop-bop-bop... Plastic folks, you know... It won't happen here... You're safe, mama... (No no no)... You're safe, baby... (No no no)... You just cook a tv dinner... (No no no)... And you make it... Bop bop bop...(No no no)... Oh, we're gonna get a tv dinner and cook it up...
Posted 09:36 AM, 07/09/2009
jmc
That whole post is the inner-workings of a fearful child, or maybe a jealous one. Fox dominates, get over it.
About Will Bunch
Will's book: Learn about it here and purchase it here.

Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.

E-mail Will by clicking here.

PLEASE COMMENT WITH PASSION...

...but not with racial slurs, potentially libelous allegations, obscenities or other juvenile noise. Such comments will, at our discretion, be deleted in their entirety, and repeat offenders will be blocked from commenting. ALSO: Any commenter advocating killing any government official will be immediately banned.

Thanks.

Blog Roll
Philly/National
 
Atrios
 
Kiko's House
 
Suburban Guerilla
 
Booman Tribune
 
All-Spin Zone
 
Philly (Dragonballyee)
 
Afro-Netizen
 
Rowhouse Logic
 
MyDD
 
Bad Attitudes
 
Billmon
 
iFlipFlop
 
CorrenteWire
 
upyernoz
 
Tattered Coat
 
Fables of the Reconstruction
 
Slacktivist
Philly
 
Citizen Mom
 
The Next Mayor
 
Philly Future
 
Philadelphia Will Do
 
Philebrity
 
Young Philly Politics
 
Phillyblog
 
Welcome to Phillyville
 
Phawker
 
A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago
 
Keystone Blog
 
Philadelphia - America's Hometown
 
BlankBaby
 
Above Average Jane
 
Phillyist
 
Metroblogging Philadelphia
 
The Clog
Politics
 
Josh Marshall
 
Daily Kos
 
Juan Cole
 
Oliver Willis
 
Andy Borowitz
 
War and Piece
 
Wonkette
 
BuzzFlash
 
Raw Story
 
Cursor
 
Crooks and Liars
 
Swing State Project
 
Kevin Drum
 
Talk Left
 
AmericaBlog
 
Hullabaloo
 
Mad Kane
 
Think Progress
 
Jesus' General
 
The Carpetbagger Report
 
Majikthise
 
Echidne of the Snakes
 
David Sirota
 
Glenn Greenwald
 
TBogg
 
Fire Dog Lake
 
Taylor Marsh
 
Matthew Yglesias
 
Jon Swift
 
Drudge Report
Sports
 
Beer Leaguer
 
The 700 Level
 
Dick Polman
 
Balls, Sticks and Stuff
 
Shallow Center
 
Philling Station
 
Phillies Nation
 
A Citizen's Blog
 
The Good Phight
Media
 
Romenesko
 
Editor and Publisher
 
Pressthink
 
Buzzmachine
 
The Inksniffer
 
Media Bloodhound
 
Eat the Press
 
Mickey Kaus
 
Media (Huffington Post)
If you must
 
Blinq
 
The Corner
 
Instapundit
 
Andrew Sullivan
 
Free Republic
 
James Taranto
 
Blonde Sagacity
 
ScrappleFace
 
Blogorrhea