PBS Frontline, Ruppert Murdoch Scandal, 3/27/12

This week, PBS Frontline broadcast a powerful show, a huge scandal about Ruppert Murdoch and his global media empire News Corp., comprised of 53,000 people throughout the world. Revelations about widespread bribery, illegal phone hacking, control of London's police command and of British prime ministers and other top government officials who have become informally answerable to Mr. Murdoch, who has used this influence to pursue monopolistic business practices. Now from the British government inquiries, there have been over 40 arrests and several resignations, including that of James Murdoch, Ruppert's son and heir apparent to head News Corp. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/murdochs-scandal/

What most grabbed my attention was when being questioned under oath by the British government about the terrible elements of this scandal, Mr. Murdoch accepted no responsibility for his actions, laying the blame for any illegalities on people who reported to him and people who reported to them. No backbone, no courage, no principle on his part, although in fairness to Mr. Murdoch, it is not for me to pass judgment on him.

What also got my attention was "the wall of silence" on the part of almost all British and global media as if this was normal business conduct: no story here. Fortunately, a reporter and his editor at the prestigious newspaper The Guardian, thought otherwise and broke this story, as they called upon the support of The New York Times to assist them. Certainly no News Corp entity felt this information should be in the public domain, including the Fox network in the U.S. who even gave the scandal short shrift.

In the days since the show aired, this unprincipled, lawless leadership at News Corp. and the spineless response from almost all other media outlets until the scandal broke, has haunted me. In 1990-91, when my firm Capital Associates was under fire, instead of my blaming our immense problems on others, I as founder, largest shareholder, CEO and Chairman publicly and privately accepted full responsibility for all of the blunders. I didn't blame it on others, instead relocating to the company headquarters in Colorado and taking extensive action working closely with company and other personnel to clean up the mess and put the firm back on solid footing. We didn't succeed in restoring the company's prior stature but we saved this 16 year old formerly successful firm.

The last few days, I have had nightmares about those rugged times at Capital Associates and have been consumed by the thought of such widespread, previously unreported British corruption all the way to the top of the government at the hands of a ruthless businessman in Mr. Murdoch, which allowed him to extend the tentacles of his global media empire on his immense profits. And if the news media doesn't do its job to keep the people informed, how can they possibly hold any corrupt official accountable.

This acquiescence to evil reminded me of even worse evil, what led to Nazi Germany and all of its horrors, including World War ll as a wall of silence enveloped the media and the German people until it was too late.

Dick