The Murdock sage continues, a soap opera tale if there ever was one.
It seems surreal. Rupert Murdock, perhaps the most powerful media mogul in the world, being questioned in Parliament.
The scene has fixated other journalists, getting major coverage throughout the world. Fox News estimated that the “New York Times” gave the scandal about twice as much coverage today (July 20) as it gave U.S. debt crisis.
Why? In a lot of ways, it is a boring scandal. There’s no sex, violence, or money laundering. Not even any incriminating videos or photos wandering around cyberspace.
This is a more cerebral scandal than most. What we have is a tale of serious ethical lapses. Of bribery. Of police involvement and possible government complicity.
I look forward to seeing how it ends. I’m sure there will be book(s) and possibly a movie or two. But I also find myself thinking about that other great media tale–Watergate, Deep Throat, and the “Washington Post.” A time where the media did what they do best and exposed the corruption at the top.
This time the media itself is the corruption. I remain fixated on the story, but I think I’ll rent “All the President’s Men” again.
I like my journalists to wear the white hats.
Irascible but honest. That’s the way journalists should be. After all, if we can’t trust our news sources, who can we trust? Certainly not politicians!