As far back as 1969 Rupert Murdoch obsessed with phone hacking
Read Time:1 Minute, 58 Second
When Rupert Murdoch arrived in London
in 1969 he revealed to a journalist
his obsession with phone hacking
and electronic surveillance
In an article in today’s Independent Andreas Whittam Smith reveals to readers a meeting with Rupert Murdoch and his feelings about phone hacking. The main gist of the article was Mr. Whittam Smith calling for Murdoch for serve some prison time and comparing his media operations to the Italian mafia and it’s corrupting influence on Italian politicians. But, this quote caught my attention:
Rupert Murdoch has owned the News of the World for nearly 42 years. When he arrived in England as an unknown Australian newspaper proprietor to bid for the News of the World in 1969 in opposition to Robert Maxwell, I went to meet him at Heathrow Airport and traveled into town with him. I was a young financial journalist. When we got to the Savoy Hotel, he went up to reception to sign in. As soon as he was given his room number, he demanded that he be given a different room. I asked him why. You see, he said, I fear that my room will have been bugged. Even then phone hacking and electronic eavesdropping obsessed him.
Phone hacking – Bullies and cowards
In a previous article Mr. Whittam Smith shares this with us:
Rupert and his son James are bullies with the characteristic that often accompanies a ruthless manner – there is something cowardly about them. They won’t face their staff in meetings when they have bad news to deliver. Rupert Murdoch wouldn’t say a word when confronted by TV reporters in the US on Thursday evening. Rebekah Brooks, who apes the Murdoch manner, hurried away from the News of the World newsroom after announcing the closure of the newspaper on Thursday, only addressing shocked staff yesterday. This former editor doesn’t appear on television in case she stumbles over her words.
There is something rotten in the state of Murdoch, and the non-Rupert media in the United States should be going after criminal behavior in all arms of his empire. The News of the World was not one bad apple, the whole barrel stinks.
Writers and contributors represent their own opinions. Their views are not necessarily the editorial position of MadMikesAmerica. But, when it comes to putting Rupert Murdoch in prison for phone hacking, we are all on board.
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Murdoch is being portrayed more and more like Citizen Kane.
Whatever happens, yesterday was a sad day for investigative journalism. Not all journalists at the NOTW were bad apples, just like not all MPs were not expense fiddlers and not all bankers were fat cats.
Check out my view at http://dasteepsspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/07/news-is-screwed.html
You might also be interested in my view on the disgrace that is the PCC: http://dasteepsspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/07/fall-of-another-flop.html