Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is calling for a Royal Commission focusing on Rupert Murdoch’s media ownership. A petition on the federal government’s website already has over 339,000 signatures supporting it with another couple of weeks before it closes on the 4th of November.
Kevin Rudd also wants the Royal Commission to investigate the wider media as well. The petition says:
Our democracy depends on diverse sources of reliable, accurate and independent news. But media ownership is becoming more concentrated alongside new business models that encourage deliberately polarising and politically manipulated news.
We are especially concerned that Australia’s print media is overwhelmingly controlled by News Corporation, founded by Fox News billionaire Rupert Murdoch, with around two-thirds of daily newspaper readership.
This power is routinely used to attack opponents in business and politics by blending editorial opinion with news reporting. Australians who hold contrary views have felt intimidated into silence. These facts chill free speech and undermine public debate.
Powerful monopolies are also emerging online, including Facebook and Google. We are deeply concerned by: mass-sackings of news journalists; digital platforms impacting on media diversity and viability; Nine Entertainment’s takeover of the Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald; News Corp’s acquisition (and then closure) of more than 200 smaller newspapers, undermining regional and local news; attempts to replace AAP Newswire with News Corp’s alternative; and relentless attacks on the ABC’s independence and funding.
Professional journalists further have legitimate concerns around unjust searches, potential prosecution, whistle-blower protection, official secrecy and dispute resolution that should be comprehensively addressed. Only a Royal Commission would have the powers and independence to investigate threats to media diversity and recommend policies to ensure optimal diversity across all platforms to help guarantee our nation’s democratic future. (Click here to see the petition on the government website and sign it if you want to)
The SMH published an article by Rudd today (19/10/20):
Living in Australia, many now habitually think our national media landscape is normal. It isn’t. No other Western democracy has the level of print media monopoly that Rupert Murdoch has secured for himself in Australia.
A single American billionaire has now seized control of almost 70 per cent of daily newspaper circulation. In my state of Queensland, which determines most federal elections, this monopoly is almost 100 per cent with every newspaper from Cairns to Coolangatta and Australia’s only commercial 24-hour ‘news’ channel.
But Murdoch is not just any old businessman. He’s not just interested in money but also in political power and far-right ideology. For Murdoch, it’s long been his triple-aphrodisiac. And the habits of a lifetime lead him to destroy anybody who gets in his way. That’s why people are frightened of him.
Where would Murdoch like to take Australia? Look no further than Fox News in America, which remains the epicentre of the Trump phenomenon, polluting Americans’ minds with bullshit narratives about widespread voter fraud, climate hoaxes and other wild conspiracies. This parallel-universe model is now unfolding in the pages of his Australian newspapers and on Sky News. (Click here to read more)
Some are saying that Rudd is pushing for the Royal Commission because of sour grapes but we have all seen how biased the media can be especially Rupert Murdoch’s Newscorp. With James Murdoch recently confirming that “he left his family’s publishing company News Corp over concerns its newspapers were disguising facts and endorsing disinformation” there can be no doubt there needs to be a Royal Commission into Australia media.
On the 13th of September 2020, I published an article titled “Rupert Murdoch’s attempt to shakedown Facebook and Google is underwritten by Scott Morrison and the Liberal Party” and said:
Murdoch does not run a media company in Australia as it has become nothing more than the media arm of the Liberal Party / National Party coalition. If Murdoch wants something from the politicians, he gets it which is evident in the Google / Facebook shakedown. Even The Conversation website, which is owned by Australian Universities, has reported it as fact as per the 2019 article which started off:
“There is mounting evidence that Australia is sick of Rupert Murdoch and the political propaganda machine he runs in the guise of a news organisation.” (Click here to read more)
It doesn’t matter where to go, everyone seems to be in agreement about Murdoch’s negative impact on Australian democracy.
Nine Entertainment, under the chairmanship of former federal Liberal MP and Treasurer Peter Costello, is heading in the same direction as News Corp. It will take years for Nine to live down the fact that they hosted a fundraiser for the Liberal Party in 2019 at their Sydney TV Studies raising over $700,000 and then, of course, it is well known the Peter Costello is goods friends and a close political advisor to Prime Minister Scott Morrison. (Click here to read more)
Then there is Kerry Stokes and Seven West Media which he controls via Seven Group which owns about 40%. SWM has been run headfirst into the ground because of gross mismanagement and negligence by the board of directors which Kerry Stokes rules with an iron fist as chairman.
So why does Stokes keep the shareholding in SWM? Because he uses it to intimidate and/or bribe politicians to get what he wants for his other business interests such as property, mining and resources.
On the 30th of August 2020, I published an article titled “Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduces “Billionaire Keeper” after being bribed to push the Australian gas industry” that has the below video which exposed some of the political favours Kerry Stokes has received from WA Premier Mark McGowan. The video also showed how Seven’s Perth sports presenter Basil Zempilas was running for Perth Mayor and how Seven were supporting Basil.
On the weekend Basil Zempilas was elected Perth Mayor and who was there to help him celebrate? Kerry Stokes as the below picture shows.
Basil Zempilas and Kerry Stokes in the background. The paper which is owned by Kerry Stokes says “The People’s Lord Mayor” when it should say “Kerry’s Lord Mayor”.
Having Basil as Mayor will obviously help with Kerry’s numerous property and business interests in Perth and as I previously reported I believe Basil plans on keeping his job as a sports reporter at the Seven Network. I wonder if Kerry will give Basil a pay rise. It makes a bad joke of how media is meant to be independent of politics and just shows how blatant the collusion between the two is now.
It’ll be a struggle for a Royal Commission to get up and running and I’m no fan of Rudd but a Royal Commission into Australia media would be money well spent to shine a light on just how corrupt Murdoch and the rest of the Australian media are.
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Categories: Kerry Stokes, News Corp, Nine Entertainment, Rupert Murdoch, Seven West Media
Thanks and keep up the great work exposing the corruption at the heart of our media. We live with the SWM trash rag The Broome Advertiser and have been on the receiving end of its blatant manipulation of current events in support of its advertisers, Stokes’s interests and the dodgy mafia known as WA Labor (which are no better than WA Lib / Nats). More power to you!
Australia being influenced by a pro-America loon such as Roopit Morduch does not provide any benefit to the people of Australia nor does their tax free plunder of our resources by the US of A
resident along with his headquarters.
Not enough people realize that the military alliance between our sovereign nation and the Dogs of War USA, consists of a pledge to Australia to consult with America should Australia experience threats off intimidation from any neighboring South East Asian country.
Much time has transpired, some 50 years, since a comprehensive review of the former ANZUS Treaty has been considered as a necessary undertaken. (New Zealand bailed out of ANZUS through its desire to forbid the entry into any of New Zealand’s seaports of America’s nuclear powered warships.
Time and the changing of Trade partners found convenient by misc’ other countries, can develop a means of an eroding affect on Trade relations so the same goes for Military Alliances.
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/CIB/cib0102/02CIB03
The URL above contains its reasons for engaging in a review, giving its focused attention to factors such as the deterioration or collapsing of trade relations between China and America, should Australia’s massive bilateral Trade relations suffer through because of the Trump imposed distrust that that US declares against China? (Remembering that China has contributed its multi $Billions into advancing our Australian economy.)
This new Anti-China concept is now in full swing by the USA, consequently this Liberal/National party government, has become a fallen victim under the improper influences brought by the “Morduch media zest for supporting all forms of the US anti-China propaganda”… against the best ever trade relations agreement held between China and ourselves as a “Sovereign Nation.
What right does the Morduch media empire possess to readily interfere in Australia’s international trade relationships, to the enormous detriment of Australia’s economy?
Far better for an Australian government to ban the publication of the pro-USA Morduch media publications from Australia.
Guess who controls the ABC?
The Unions
The obvious question Ruddy should be asked is why he didn’t do anything about the growing media monopoly while they were in the job? This smells very much like a bit of pro-Labor PR shortly before an election in Qld. The other question that should be asked is even if we did have a royal commission what would it achieve in practical terms anyway?
Considering their track record, it should be obvious that they’d invariably –
a) Throw a lot of our money at lawyers,
b) Find only as much as the terms of reference permit, and
c) Make recommendations that will only be acted upon if they suit the party in power.
There’s an old saying in politics, never have an inquiry unless the findings are known in advance.