The Coastal Post - May, 1997
Kissing The Boots Of A Media
Goliath
By Norman Solomon
In a media world where the preposterous has become routine, it's
hard to be shocked anymore. But I hope you're sitting down. A major
religious organization has decided to give its "Humanitarian of the
Year" award to... Rupert Murdoch. What's next? Prizes to Jenny Jones
and Howard Stern for quality journalism? A posthumous award to
Marshall Herff Applewhite for affirmation of life?
Media mogul Murdoch is getting his Humanitarian of the Year plaque
from a group that calls itself "the largest philanthropic
organization in the world." The United Jewish Appeal-Federation of
New York will honor Murdoch at a posh dinner in late May. Fawning
over mighty tycoons is nothing new. But the UJA- Federation is
pushing the obsequious envelope. Murdoch, whose grandfather was a
Presbyterian minister, has emerged as the planet's media giant. His
possessions in this country include the Fox television network, TV
Guide, the tabloid New York Post, Harper Collins book publishers,
Twentieth Century Fox and the right-wing Weekly Standard magazine.
Lax federal regulation has swelled the profits of Murdoch's News
Corp., now a $28 billion conglomerate.
As a recent New York Times article noted, his 10-year-old Fox TV
network "could never have succeeded if it had not received generous
treatment at the Federal Communications Commission." Naturally,
turning such big governmental wheels requires lots of political
grease. Last year, Murdoch donated $1 million to the California
Republican Party, while News Corp. gave another $654,700 in "soft
money" to the national GOP. The current chairman of Fox News is Roger
Ailes, the former media adviser to George Bush's 1988 presidential
campaign who went on to become executive producer of Rush Limbaugh's
TV show.
Murdoch has floated an abundance of lofty rhetoric about his Star
TV global satellite network. For example: "Satellite broadcasting
makes it possible for information-hungry residents of many closed
societies to bypass state-controlled television." He touts new media
technology as a "threat to totalitarian regimes everywhere."
But Murdoch quickly kowtowed to China's totalitarian regime when
Beijing objected to Star TV transmissions of BBC News reports about
Chinese human rights abuses. In 1994, Murdoch's network dropped the
BBC from its broadcasts to Asia. "The BBC was driving them nuts,"
Murdoch reportedly said. "It's not worth it."
In Murdoch's native Australia, News Corp. dominates the mass
media. In Britain, Murdoch controls more than a third of daily
newspaper circulation along with much of cable and satellite
television. While using his media outlets to push for the slashing of
government social services, Murdoch was a pioneer of union-busting in
the newspaper industry.
Why would the UJA-Federation choose to laud this man? Well, of
course, he's extremely wealthy-wielding enormous media leverage and
political clout on several continents. And he's an avid backer of
Israel. Meanwhile, a News Corp. subsidiary boasts of being "the
largest R&D firm in Jerusalem." The UJA-Federation-proud of its
aid programs for Jewish immigrants in Israel-- avoids the concept of
human rights for Arabs in the holy land. The organization encourages
the attitude that Palestine belongs to Jews but not to Palestinians.
With a similar spirit, Murdoch declares "my faith and News
Corporation's faith in the integrity and worthiness of the Zionist
undertaking."
So, it's appropriate that the presenter of the upcoming
Humanitarian of the Year award will be none other than Henry
Kissinger. The former Secretary of State has never apologized for a
bigoted remark he made in June 1992 while speaking at an "Israel
benefit" event for the Jerusalem Foundation: "You can't really
believe anything an Arab says."
Next month's salute to Murdoch also features "honorary dinner
chair" Sumner Redstone, the Viacom CEO whose vast media empire
includes the UPN, MTV, Nickelodeon and USA Networks, Simon &
Schuster and Paramount Pictures. Many other media titans will be at
the head table.
By proclaiming that Rupert Murdoch is Humanitarian of the Year,
the award sponsors have chosen to kiss the boots of a media Goliath.
The May 29 banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria will pay tribute to a
global magnate who exemplifies how wealth and media power can buy a
gloss of moral legitimacy.
