BILD-Zeitung and Rupert Murdoch

A few months ago I wrote about the similiarities between the German tabloid BILD and Rupert Murdoch's Fox News network in the US.  Both media outlets serve to promote a right-wing populist agenda.  I knew for certain that Murdoch's media properties engaged in unethical journalistic practices.  Now the entire world can see that in fact Murdoch presides over a massive criminal enterprise.

With the focus on Murdoch and the cell-phone hacking scandal in the UK, others have noted the connection to BILD.  Jakob Augstein, in his weekly Spiegel column, notes that Murdoch's papers as well as BILD offer the illusion of looking out for the little guy but in reality serve the interest of the moneyed classes:

Aber egal ob britische oder deutsche Boulevard-Medien: beide nähren die Illusion, die Interessen der Vielen zu vertreten, während sie in Wahrheit das System stabilisieren, das den Wenigen nützt. Das ist das Wesen des Populismus.

(Makes no difference whether it's the British or German boulevard media:  both nouris the illusion of representing the interests of the many while in truth they stabilize a system that benefits the few.  This is the essence of populism.) 

Augstein points out that in the US Fox News and the New York Post have become the mouthpiece of the Tea Party movement, which in turn financed by the billionaire Koch brothers.

Bei "Bild" ist es ähnlich: Wenn es darum geht, die Vermögenden stärker zu belasten, den Unternehmern mehr Rechte für ihre Angestellten abzuringen oder den sozial Schwachen mehr Gerechtigkeit zukommen zu lassen - dann möge bitte niemand glauben, die "Bild-Zeitung" sei der Anwalt des "kleinen Mannes".

(It's the same with BILD: if the goal is to tax the wealthy, force corporations to give more rights to their employees, or achieve justice for the disadvantages - then no one can seriously believe that BILD-Zeitung is an advocate for the "little guy".)  

Commentator Brigitte Baetz notes that in the US Murdoch has pretty much ruined the once proud and excellent Wall Street Journal.  She believes the scandal in Great Britain will cross the pond: 

Denn auch die Amerikaner wissen: Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf her. Es ist kaum vorstellbar, dass journalistische Methoden wie die von News of the World nicht mit Wissen und Wollen von ganz oben angewendet worden sind.

(For the Americans know full well that the fish rots from the head.  It can scarcely be imagined that the journalistic practices of the News of the World could have occured without the knowledge and approval from the top.) 

The blogger and economist Albrecht Müller has wrtitten extensively about the dangers of media consolidation.  The News Corp scandal in the UK has only pulled the covers off the true nature of monopoly media and its toxic relationship with the political class:

Hinter dieser Diskussion um Murdoch können sich die deutschen Medienkonzerne und ihre Verbandelung mit der Politik glänzend verstecken. Das Synonym für Murdoch in Deutschland heißt Bertelsmann, Springer und Co.

(Up to now the German media groups and their interconnections with the political class have been able to hide behind the focus on Murdoch.  The synonym for Murdoch in Germany is called Bertelsmann, Springer & Co. )

 Read my 2007 tribute to Dieter von Holtzbrinck, who resigned as director from Dow Jones to protest Murdoch's takeover of the Wall Street Journal.

Comments

[Zyme]

David, normally you don't disappoint me! After I have read what happened in Norway, I strongly assumed that you would have posted an entry focusing on right wing extremist violence in Europe and the US or something - but maybe you are currently drafting something like it? :-)

Terrible tragedy of course, coupled with an unusually civil biography should fascinate the media for at least 4 days.

[David]

@Zyme -

Do we know whether Anders Behring Breivik reads German? If so, he must have read "Deutschland schafft sich ab" and that pushed him over the edge!

[Zyme]

:-D

Ahh David, you know what - the likes of us should meet in an Gentlemen's club in London once a month to discuss the recent events :-)