but with news that James and Rupert Murdoch are closing the News of The World because they systematically tapped phones across Britain and used it for all sorts of leverage; media, business etc
in many ways its media as terrorism, or media as organized crime, information terrorism
the thing is, there are two dynamics at work in the Evil Empire.
1. is the patchwork of media properties across the globe, all except The Australian (maybe Fox News) where acquired and not created by Murdoch - you could argue that Fox News was more an aggregation of players like Ailes and the Fox brand, local TV network etc. The existing mastheads are self-contained and saleable. or where. nowadays the second tendency is gaining momentum, especially with increased digitization. Murdoch first used digitized pagination in the Wapping newspapers in England under Thatcher to break the unions at his news papers but also more generally across the UK and the world
2. the second tendency is the CORPORATION. the top down enforcement of shared, global, digital infrastructure. i.e shared platforms for printing, TV, and mostly digital content management, including news papers... so the top-down pressure of the corporation and the Murdoch family create horizontal networks of news, advertising and management syndication and coordination
the news is syndicated - syndicates take on the cosa nostra meaning? - and shared digital content platforms mean the journalistic process is global
also by killing NOTW Murdoch is throwing a bone to the Establishment in the UK
Murdoch might be showing his age, and a weakness, the European atristocracy has a member as head of state in the UK, and I dont mean the Queen. David Cameron is a distant cousin and many of his ministers are aristocrats too. Murdoch made his reputation bashing snobs and the Establishment and I guess they sense a chance to regain some hegemony
so, the culture of NOTW is News Corp culture and its a global one, built into the platforms, the process and the business culture
NOTW had made too many mistakes i.e. got caught, and pissed off too many artistocrats under a Tory government
the Tories sleaze demolished the Thatcher legacy, no doubt they learned that lesson and where pretty keen to shut-down the protection racket that was NOTW
a liberal blog from News Corp monoculture Australia http://newmatilda.com/2011/07/08/murdochs-business-pox-democracy
ps: normally, like most who have worked for News, or worked in the industry, an email like this would be career suicide, litigation and intimidation would be possible... probably via libel or "disparagement" clauses, perhaps by the dirt file or shit sheet they have or can get on former staffers or pretty much anyone... but i figure this is an opening for some sunlight
-- Nicholas Roberts US 510-684-8264 http://Permaculture.TV http://permaculture.coop