Sounds painful when I put it like that.

One of those petards is the phone hacking scandal - the gorgeous irony that Murdoch created a culture of scandal mongering journalism and only to be humiliated because his people took his instructions to their logical conclusion.

The other petard, in some ways more interesting, goes like this.

Decades ago, Murdoch cynically chose an anti-quality business model. He got rid of skilled, though expensive, professional journalists, reduced the serious commentary in his papers, put little or no value on the facts, and concentrated on peddling salacious gossip. Because he figured, rightly as his profit line has shown, that the market for bovine excrement is huge, and - equally importantly - cheap to satisfy. He just had his people make stuff up.

And anybody can do that, right.

Well, it turned out that anybody can. And some do it really well. So, now that the internet has made it possible for anyone to freely produce and publish bovine excrement in unlimited quantities, Rupert is stuck with a bunch of non-profitable papers peddling huge, fly ridden dollops of the stuff. Problem is they can't do it as cheaply as anyone with a laptop, imagination and internet access can.

He can't compete and he can't differentiate.

If, way back, he'd stayed with a model based on professional, quality journalism, he would be able to differentiate. He could point to his skilled staff with powerful research support and say, "You want quality, facts, truth, journalistic integrity? Well here we are, but you'll have to pay for it." Many of us would.

But as it is, Rupert and his editors can't say that. Because, as a matter of strategic choice, they abandoned quality years ago.

And that petard is the one that will hurt him the most.

Because while the NOTW scandal will hurt his reputation, his inability to compete profitably is hurting his hip pocket and will ultimately destroy the media component of his empire.

Which is where Rupert's only pain nerve is located.

Maybe there is a just god.

Anthony
www.observationpoint.com.au

Welcome, and thanks for the thread.
I have posted links from England and America about this issue.
Lived in the birth time of the Australian.
Knew of one who killed himself there in its early days.
Conservatives, and the flagships of this firm, throw mud at the coming Australian review.
It, driven by fear or promises? will be a toothless Tiger.
NOT however the British one,or the American one that will grow as a result of it.
Truth will visit us second hand.
A restriction exists here, not every one under stands you direction, few know of the father of Rupert.
Or of the young Rupert's instant conversion so very many years ago.
He for a very short time was a Social activist!
See both his early involvement then retreat in a murder case.

Karma mabye?

Good points. Anyone can do poor quality and maybe Murdoch's birds have come home to roost, just don't stand under the perch.

Not because I want to put the boot in to Murdock, I do but it would be a flea bite.
But because even without this scandal the fate of the print media, and the natural biases of all media has been brewing for a while.
I expect this thread to be a long one, let us see.
At some future date,looking back we will see this was the time seeds sown that changed both forever.
I get to read free enough international news to choke a horse free!
And the biases are interesting.
Out country ,soft belly scratching investigation or not, can not side step the coming storm.

How true it is! In the seventies when still here in Adelaide with just one Newspaper he opened up the week with the headline "tax rises on the cards". The campaign continued for a whole week without a shred of evidence that tax rises were actually being contemplated, in fact the Adevrtiser which was still a quality paper at that time derided the claims as having no substance. But by the end of the week he had stirred up such a frenzy that the treasurer came out to categorically deny that there would be tax rises. Next day the front page of the News was full of self congratulatory praise - Murdoch had single handedly prevented a tax rise!
No integrity, no substance, no ethics

Only too true BAYGON.
Shame is the average poster never lived in the worst times.
The days that saw honest reporting go out of fashion.
A daily dip in the more substantial British press is informative.
At the end of the inquiry USA and us will be unable to stay out of it.
Just a thought, an unlikely one on past evidence, but I feel the editorial policy's of the Australian, maybe Even the raging rag Sydney Tele, is about to turn on Tony Abbott fiercely so.
Lets wait and see.

Hi Belly,
Thanks for the welcome.
I must say that I held back in my thread opening.
What I truly believe is that a functioning - and therefore ethical - media is fundamentally essential to a successful democracy.
Insofar as Murdoch has profoundly damaged the media landscape through his cynical greed, I contend that he and his ilk are a greater threat to our democratic way of life than all the terrorists in the world put together.
I note that now the media inquiry has been announced, the media is howling that they are perfectly capable of self regulating and that the government should stay out.
As Dr Phil often says, "The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour".
On that basis the media definitely need ongoing scrutiny from a body other than themselves.
Cheers,
Anthony
www.observationpoint.com.au

Anthony I agree with every word.
Far too many have no idea of what is behind the headlines, power privilege, slanted reporting in the name of self interest.
Right now this media giant is lying with intent.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/20/nick-clegg-news-international-milly-dowler
A 3 Million British pound pay out to just one victims family.
13 now maybe more to come charged.
High officials, including police commissioners forced from office.
This growing scandal concerns me.
It should concern us all.
Yet it, it the weird strange way of western politics, America you shame us all, we take sides not demand better.
American politics now anchored in rage, in nasty vindictive rhetoric not honesty, infects my country.
We at some level know, this media giant acts as a power base for one family one mans wants and wishes.
Yet for those who share those wishes any crime can be forgiven.
Even as tabled in Parliament yesterday evidence a news paper here in our country, constructed a lie to harm the ALP and assist Tony Abbott.
I will believe in a free press, a press acting for all our good, our country's good, on the day.
Murdock Media lets us see a true revue of Abbott, Australia needs far better from a future Prime Minister.

what has been ignored is that in a properly functioning democracy you need a an effective press- you need courageous journalists who are prepared to expose corruption, explain controversial and complex political issues and who, above all, are non partisan. What Murdoch has achieved is to create a press which has become part of the entertainment industry, it serves by and large as a distraction from serious political discussion. Such investigative reporting as is carried out is unashamedly partisan hence the equally shameless courting of the murdoch press by politicians.
In the meantime the Murdoch press has enabled our democracy to be hijacked to the point where politicians irrespective of their notional ideology are little more than apologists for the status quo.

What I am going to say will earn me no new Friends.
Yet after my morning read, including the extremely muddy waters of the Murdock media.
I think some one just must say it.
We all have views and opinions, very few of us, myself included are not unhappy with our poor performing Prime Minister.
Some views come from a true understanding,those are in the minority.
Some from a conversation over heard at work, or held with the bloke next door over the fence in a break from mowing the lawn.
Its in our DNA to lampoon politicians, or fall at their feet, based on little things a smile can turn one in to an idol.
We from our mums milk or dads mouth learn one side is the very Devil the other without sin.
By my age the university of life has shown us both sides are and always will be imperfect, but one the lessor of two evils.
Opinions are not truths, during my read an Australian of note, was shown to be finding wonders of the past in goggle earth photos.
The highlighted photo shows an ancient rock walled compound, leading into it tracks to drive beast to be harvested and eaten.
My minds eye truly honestly see all media ,all of it, like this and us?
Being first attracted then stumbling along in the preferred directions.
Media is a business.
It exists to sell us everything from food to opinion.
Those who own and control media ultimately are there for self interest.
While I hold great hope for todays young, and those to come, many sit at a computer key board playing games!
And understanding no more than those soon to be dead beasts.
I need to continue.

Any informed person, any one with an inquiring mind will know or can find out.
Press first then all media has always influenced us.
From the single page pamphlets of London to the Rum Rebellion ones in early Sydney.
Some activly supported government policy's every one,in its history took sides,some activly drove people to go to war,and die.
We are isolated, some know nothing of the phone hacking, its implications.
It warns us, reminds us, power and privilege can not be trusted.
Today a campaign is continuing ,in papers owned by our ex Australian Media Barron.
In the style of his family before him and his every move in his life, the campaign is to not see open review of media.
Not take away his POWER we heedlessly pick our team, refuse to consider we are being told story's that are not true.
Today I a proud member of the Australian Labor Party say openly Gillard is no leader, Claim with pride our policy's are best.
BUT charge Murdock Media, Green media ABC, with a crime against us all our very country.
In efforts to destroy Gillard [she needs no help] and my government.
The blind protective barrier they place around Tony Abbott is shamefully.
No true Conservative should not be deeply embarrassed by his every utterance of no no no.
If media is prepared to over look this tiny man,his inability to hold his job nothing they do can be believed.

Hi Belly,

How very true.

I have a conviction that democracy can only work if voters are at least passingly well informed, so by lying to the community, and for the basest of reasons, Murdoch has profoundly damaged our democracy.

I'm with you politically as well. I have a military and corporate background, so I suppose I would be a natural conservative and was up until a few years ago, but I simply cannot stomach the rabid right wing mentality that has overtaken conservatice politics.

In another way, Murdoch exemplifies another belief I hold,(after sitting through a good many board meetings), and that is that free enterprise is the best system for creating wealth, but without strong regulation it inevitably becomes a destructive force. (So, needless to say, I support a media enquiry).

Re Abbott, I've written a couple of columns on that subject, if you feel totally bored and could use a smile check out:
http://www.observationpoint.com.au/?p=121
http://www.observationpoint.com.au/?p=105

Have a great weekend.
Cheers,
Anthony

http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/us-probe-of-news-identifies-gangster-tactics-20110928-1kw6x.html
I understand threads like this are not read.
I know too, more than ever we weary of politics.
And that politics seems less interested in us.
Our hung Parliament, the uncertainty it brings sickens us.
And that world wide we see the same.
World economic crisis ,it is some times easier to just avoid the pain.
Must be extremely hard for some Conservatives.
Anchored solidly to the belief they are right, always, my team wrong, always.
It is for me, a Labor voter unaware why Gillard remains in charge,why Crean is thought to be returning.
Why Rudd is not.
But we, if we want to , will see this single man,has installed both Labor and Liberal governments.
Has us all on his string.
enough uninformed follow his pied piper call to do his will, no matter what ours is.
This link, if we remove the names, could be a road map for Mafia infiltration to a city or country.
she,l be right mate! will it?

Hi Belly,
wow, that link is very interesting reading.
Just goes to show that the old saying that leaders shape organizational culture is true.
As you inferred, Murdoch could give Al Capone a run for his money.
Cheers,
Anthony
www.observationpoint.com.au

Many threads have started here about this subject.
Here and in articles,daily in the Murdock flagship attempts to make it look a freedom of the press thing are launched.
Australians seem to think its a Labor vs Liberal thing.
It never was.
Rupert Murdock, all that he controls, has supported or removed governments of both persuasions.
It will not go away.
His open door entry to houses of Prime Ministers his power and influence are the drivers here.
We stumble, seemingly in awe or is it fear? of his power to influence public opinion.
But in the end world events will force us to be involved the New York Times no less has a story yesterday that will in time bring us to wounder how did we let this happen.