BARVENNON.COM
AUSTRALIAN DIARY
JUNE 2010.
MURDOCH
I do seem to be writing a lot
about Rupert. The thing is, he is quite intrusive and nobody else
seems to notice (at least not in the media, I wonder why? (Duh)).
In general the public journalists (print, radio, video) have
integrity. They vary widely in politics. Murdoch can
thus get either view on any matter printed without affecting
"journalistic integrity" by appropriate choice of the journalist and
hence the message.
"What is in the end to be shrunk must first be stretched" Lao Tzu 40.
Back in February
I noted that Rupert seemed to be hitting at Rudd. Now that Rudd
is out, Julie is the darling. Until she declares the election
maybe?
Another issue is the forced sale of Murdoch's paper in Fiji. As I
get older I get more cynical about the supposed panacea we call
"democracy". So the dictator general (Baninarama?) who has
ordered that the Fiji newspaper owned by Murdoch be sold down to 20%
foreign ownership is not actually such a bad guy. He does not
slaughter foreign journalists (as happens in many Muslim
countries). Even the USA has a limit on foreign ownership of news
media. So what is the big issue?
And what is so naughty about dictatorship? His current wife's
home country has a dictator clique which seems somewhat less benign
(shooting people in Tienanmen square) than that in Fiji. Some
dictatorship cliques like that in Burma are in fact quite
oppressive. Some democracies (like that in Iran or Venezeula) are
much more repressive (allow less liberty) than the dictator in
Fiji. In fact, when you get precise, what we call a
"representative" democracy is actually a periodically elected
dictatorship clique.
Or perhaps it is their censorship? Like our proposed censorship
of the internet? I actually fail to see the difference.
Censorship is censorship.
Unless there is a legal way for the people to directly reject
legislation, or to force a "recall election", democracy does not, by
definition,
exist.
But then again, I don't think I can blame Rupert for coming out against
that forced sale. But he should have toned down his editorials
before Fiji acted. He knows as well as I that the fast way to
fame (or at least a good CV) for a liberal journalist is to be banished
from Fiji.
MAIL
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