Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/735/15307
From The Socialist newspaper, 26 September 2012
Murdoch empire: a whole barrel of bad apples
Jim McFarlane, Socialist Party Scotland
The media regulator Ofcom have bizarrely concluded that BSkyB is a "fit and proper" company to hold a broadcasting licence.
Ofcom carried out an investigation into the broadcaster in the wake of the phone hacking scandal that forced the closure of the News of the World newspaper.
Under the Broadcasting Act 1990 Ofcom have a duty to ensure that broadcasting licences are "fit and proper".
There have been numerous allegations that senior executives at News International must have known about the widespread use of phone hacking so it is hard to understand how Ofcom can reach the conclusions they have.
They have severely criticised James Murdoch for his role. They concluded that his conduct at the newspaper group repeatedly fell short of the conduct expected of him as a chief executive officer and chairman.
Ofcom said "We consider James Murdoch's conduct, including his failure to initiate action on his own account on a number of occasions, to be both difficult to comprehend and ill-judged.
"We consider that the events... raise questions regarding James Murdoch's competence in the handling of these matters, and his attitude towards the possibility of wrongdoing in the companies for which he was responsible."
Systemic
This investigation tries to again blame the systemic wrongdoing of the Murdoch-led companies on the failure of one individual.
The reality is that these organisations acted as if they were beyond reproach. The influence they exercised over governments and politicians meant that leading politicians up to senior levels of government, including prime ministers, either ignored or failed to act against the interests of the Murdoch empire.
The anger and revulsion felt by millions of people over the phone hacking scandal has pushed Rupert Murdoch and his son to issue apologies over some of the worst cases that have been exposed but these are just crocodile tears.
This show of contrition is just that, a show with no real acceptance of guilt of serious malpractices.
Numerous staff of News International are now facing serious criminal charges. The range of individuals include Andy Coulson, David Cameron's former spin doctor, as well as a number of senior staff at the Scottish News of the World who were involved in the sleazy stories used against Tommy Sheridan and the subsequent perjury trial.
Until those cases are concluded it is hard to see how Ofcom could have reached the decisions that it has.
Only a full trade union-led public investigation could be trusted to find out what exactly went on and to put in place a democratic form of regulation for the media industry that ensures that the rich and powerful cannot be allowed to dominate news provision.
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In The Socialist 26 September 2012:
Fightback against austerity
Teachers: march together, then strike together against austerity
Reasons to join the 20 October demo, reasons to build for a 24-hour strike
General strike, the biggest weapon
Model resolution for a 24-hour general strike
Socialist Party feature
Labour Party conference: Can Labour give a lead in the fight against austerity?
International socialist news and analysis
Afghanistan war: end this 'pointless waste of life'
Spain: March on Madrid kicks off a hot autumn of struggle
South Africa: 'Lonmin settlement a victory - struggle pays!'
Socialist Party news and analysis
TUSC conference: A step forward for working class political representation
Murdoch empire: a whole barrel of bad apples
Action needed to save NHS from privatisation
Socialist Party workplace news
Workers strike as Argos tightens the screws
Knowsley council fears anti-privatisation campaign
Solidarity with workers sacked from Crossrail
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
No excuse! Thousands protest against victim blaming on London Slutwalk
Enthusiastic start to the year for Socialist Students
Why Hull council should defy the government's cuts to services
Tameside library closures - "Get used to it" says councillor
Opportunistic speeches at Hull march against NHS cuts
Cellist Alfia Nakipbekova speaks out about Kazakhstan
Opencast mining: "Protect us from Provectus"
Socialist history
Belfast Outdoor Relief Strike 1932
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