Rupert Murdoch

‘Climate villain’: scientists say Rupert Murdoch wielded his media empire to sow confusion and doubt

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Image of InBedWithBigOil by Not Here To Be Liked + Hex Prints from Just Stop Oil's You May Find Yourself... art auction. Featuring Rishi Sunak, Fossil Fuels and Rupert Murdoch.
Image of InBedWithBigOil by Not Here To Be Liked + Hex Prints from Just Stop Oil’s You May Find Yourself… art auction. Featuring Rishi Sunak, Fossil Fuels and Rupert Murdoch.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/sep/23/rupert-murdoch-climate-change-denial

The tycoon, who is stepping down from News Corp and Fox, has used his outlets to promote denial and delay action, experts say

Scientists have described the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch as a “climate villain” who has used his television and newspaper empire to promote climate science denial and delay action.

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Prof Michael Mann, a climate scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, said Murdoch had been “one of the most destructive forces in modern history when it comes to climate action”.

“He has wielded his global media empire as a cudgel to sow confusion and doubt about the science and the solutions. He will go down in history as one of the greatest climate villains,” said Mann.

Dr Friederike Otto, senior lecturer in climate science at the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, said: “There’s no doubt that the Murdoch empire has played an important role in letting the public believe that there was any scientific doubt that the burning of fossil fuel causes the climate to warm and that it is detrimental for society and ecosystems. It is a terrible legacy he leaves, that many people paid for, and are paying for, with their lives and livelihoods.

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https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/sep/23/rupert-murdoch-climate-change-denial

Image: Boris Johnson confirms his thumbs up from Rupert Murdoch
Boris Johnson confirms his thumbs up to be UK prime minister from Rupert Murdoch
Continue Reading‘Climate villain’: scientists say Rupert Murdoch wielded his media empire to sow confusion and doubt

Rupert Murdoch on Tony Blair’s penis

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Rupert Murdoch’s Sun newspaper featured bare-breasted beautiful young women on it’s ‘Page 3’ until 2013. Blogger Tim Ireland campaigned against this sexist objectification of women through his Bloggerheads blog. Here are a few excerpts from that blog. While it was not Rupie himself discussing Blair’s apparently more than ample penis, it was certainly done in his newspaper with his consent. Enjoy ;)

Respect the cock

Sun cock image from Tim Ireland's Bloggerheads
Sun cock image from Tim Ireland’s Bloggerheads

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The Scum have come out in support of Blair with a front page, interview, and editorial that declares he is worthy of your vote because he is a “decent, caring family man”… with a large cock that he can put to good use up to 5 times a night. I kid you not. The article only appears in the newspaper, but here’s a juicy excerpt from the interview:

CB: Oh come on Tony, strip off. Let’s see that fit body we’ve been talking about.
TB: You can keep your hands to yourself, Cherie!
Scum: So how fit are you Tony?
CB: Very!
Scum: What, at least five times a night?
TB: At least, I can do it more depending on how I feel.
Scum: Are you always up to it?
CB: He always is!
TB: Right that’s enough – interview over. And I’m not doing any kissing pictures! Come on, woman, time to cook my dinner.

This is not a joke, people. This is an actual excerpt from the interview.

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Page 3 and the ‘News in Briefs’ lie exposed

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I remain confident that these editorials were strategically placed by then-editor Rebekah Wade/Brooks in order to better service her friend and political ally David Blunkett, and not the result of any topless model(s) spontaneously deciding that they would use the empowering platform of Page 3 to express their admiration for the work of the beleaguered Home Secretary.

That said, there is an outside chance that this was a genuine and spontaneous outpouring of emotion following the first of two resignations:

The Sun's Page 3 16 Dec 2004 from Tim Ireland's Bloggerheads.
The Sun’s Page 3 16 Dec 2004 from Tim Ireland’s Bloggerheads. It’s cropped of course – Katie’s Blunkett-supporting funbags have been cropped out by Tim Ireland.

Blunkett was and is such a nasty, evil cnut.

Head over to Bloggerheads to see more: Page 3 – News in Briefs, Rupert ‘The Evil One’ Murdoch.

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Memo to Chris Packham: I’ll come with you, break the law, get arrested and imprisoned

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Chris Packham. Image: Jo Garbutt, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Chris Packham. Image: Jo Garbutt, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

I’ve just watched Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law?. He questions whether we should break the law to protect the climate and reaches the conclusion that we should. I’m sure that he will have no problem finding people to join him, I would regard it as an honour and a privilege to join him in that endeavour. I’ll do it no problem, should be fun, hope we can have some beers before too.

It’s a good programme raising many questions. A central theme running through the programme is effective activism i.e. what is / how to do effective activism? The problem is that we exist in a plutocracy as opposed to a democracy so that rich people only have power. It’s obvious when you think about it: fossil fuel companies get to destroy the planet without ever being held to account and I’ve said before that politicians are indistinguishable from the fossil fuel companies. 2 issues: 1. We should regard them as the same, and 2. we should obstruct their activities (and also the activities of others also destroying the planet through private jets, super yachts and other conspicuous consumption). People used to aspire to be stinking rich but are coming to realise that these are the cnuts who are destroying the planet.

Also wishing Rupert a short retirement *

Later: Thinking about this, the best course of action would probably be to obstruct, disrupt, ideally prevent climate destruction / fossil fuel industries without getting arrested and imprisoned. Then you can repeat it ;)

Continue ReadingMemo to Chris Packham: I’ll come with you, break the law, get arrested and imprisoned

The Sun finds itself in line of fire over report on Huw Edwards && Jonathan Pie && Catatonia

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Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun newspaper has published a story about BBC news presenter Huw Edwards – although without initially naming him – paying a 17 year-old £35,000 for intimate photographs with the money used to finance (his) crack-cocaine addiction. The story appears to be seriously factually flawed and published despite being informed by the young man concerned that the story was incorrect. The story clearly suggested that Edwards engaged in illegality by procuring intimate photographs from a 17 year-old when this was known to be untrue by The Sun newspaper.

The Sun finds itself in line of fire over report on Huw Edwards

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Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper is facing serious questions over its reporting and ethical standards, after it alleged Edwards paid a 17-year-old for explicit images – only for police to conclude there was no evidence to support this allegation of serious criminal wrongdoing.

Days later, his wife said Edwards is in a hospital dealing with “serious mental health issues” and the newspaper is rapidly backtracking on its original story. Extraordinarily, on Wednesday night the Sun insisted its initial claim that the presenter had given a young person “more than £35,000 since they were 17 in return for sordid images” was not a suggestion of criminal activity.

Instead, the newspaper blamed other media outlets for misinterpreting its reporting and leading to the police getting involved, saying: “We must also re-emphasise that the Sun at no point in our original story alleged criminality and also took the decision neither to name Mr Edwards nor the young person involved in the allegations.”

Even before the police had cleared Edwards of illegal behaviour, doubts started to emerge over the Sun’s key allegation that he bought pictures from a 17-year-old. The young person in question, now an adult aged 20, issued a statement on Monday through their lawyer saying the allegations were “rubbish”.

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Jonathan Pie ‘Back to you, Huw!’

Catatonia ‘International Velvet’

Continue ReadingThe Sun finds itself in line of fire over report on Huw Edwards && Jonathan Pie && Catatonia