OBSESSIONS
- Media/Comm
- Writing
- Education
- Music
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
arch
emisou
panton
Phil's Blogservations
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Posted by philgomes 10:23 PM
Murdoch, Dow Jones, High-Tech Stealth SubmarinesMike Tangeman is disappointed. He's chiding the PR blogosphere for not talking more about the whole Rupert-Murdoch/Dow-Jones thing. He's also sending us emails. (At least me.) Looking southeast... Wait... Is that... A smoke signal?
*puff* *puff-puff* *PUFFFFFFFFF-puff*
*puff*
But I read Tangeman and have grown to respect him so, thus, here we are. Like moth to a flame, Woodward to Watergate, Lohan to rehab, Marty McFly to the accusation of "chicken"...
(Disclosure before you read further: Having been severely betrayed as an American by both the Democratic and Republican parties, I have identified myself as a Libertarian for the past six to eight years. I say this 'cause people might rush to judgments based on what follows.)
The reaction to this deal has been pretty interesting. Most notably from the PR blogosphere, Todd Defren had a pretty thoughtful post, at least before he kneecapped his argument by comparing Murdoch to Jonathan Pryce's villainous turn as Bond's mogul nemesis in Tomorrow Never Dies. (Visions of Rupert Murdoch launching torpedoes and rejiggering headlines from his high-tech stealth submarine are somewhat entertaining, though.)
In keeping with the cinematic comparisons, AdHurl wonders if Murdoch is "the Gordon Gecko of media." Jossip asks whether Murdoch paid an "asshole tax". Wired wonders what all this will do to Walt Mossberg's "'old wise man of tech' posture."
But what do I think? Let's just say I'm not going to join in the weeping, wailing, and gnashing of organic baked brie over whether The Wall Street Journal will get "Fox-ified". As someone who has considered Ben Bagdikian a thinker of great interest since age 16, I know full well that too much media consolidation is a quite dangerous thing. Then again, we have much more choice now — not to mention lower barriers to entry — than Bagdikian observed when he first published The Media Monopoly in 1983.
Rupert Murdoch isn't politically motivated so much as he is business motivated. Murdoch would buy left-leaning Air America if he felt that defribrillating that radio network would support News Corp's bottom line. ("Now, this won't hurt a bit, Mr. Franken." *ka-ZART*)
After all, we are talking about the guy (Murdoch) who thanked Jimmy Freakin' Carter for his approval of a $290M U.S. Export-Import Bank loan with a NY Post endorsement during the 1980 primaries. (An election where Carter lost to another guy who tends to inspire irrational hatred.) Much more recently, there was the fundraiser ol' Rupert held for Hillary.
"Nothing personal," he might say. "Just business." Sure, Murdoch has a strong conservative bent, but don't take the easy road by fooling yourself into thinking that this is what buying the Journal was all about. You can't tell me that Murdoch wakes up every morning going "Now... How'm I gonna screw America's Democratic liberals today? HANNITY!! BRING ME MY SUBMARINE!! AND GET THAT COULTER BABE ON AT 6PM!!"
It would appear that steps are being taken to ensure that Murdoch doesn't meddle in the Journal's editorial affairs. We'll see if the paper's five-member, self-governing board (which includes MIT Media Lab Chairman Emeritus Nick Negroponte) has the will to keep the boundaries firm and serve as a buffer between the newsroom and its ownership. Mark Rose seems to think that this will be more about influencing distribution than editorial, and I agree with him. (As it is, I don't see Murdoch having much quibble with the paper's editorial page. )
Somewhat selfishly, I hope that more of the Journal's online content will escape their costwall such that it might become a greater part of our conversations. (Unscientific graph not to be used as "evidence.")
Then again, that decision really comes down to Murdoch's read of Dow Jones' numbers and the degree to which he'll resist the temptation to fix what ain't broke.
He is a businessman, after all.
Technorati Tags: rupert murdoch, dow jones, wall street journal, journalism, media, pr, public relations
HOME | OBSESSIONS | FAQ | HEROES | CAREER | BLOG | CONTACT
This site has virtually no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Clicking on a link doesn't automatically send a 1/2-cent donation to UNICEF. You can't buy, sell, auction, swap, find a date, win friends, influence people, cross the chasm, or decode the human genome using this site. You won't get free email. You won't win a free video game console. This site will not end world hunger, foster peace in the Middle East, help you smell better, teach you how to swing dance, or move the global economy from petroleum to hydrogen fuels. You'll learn a lot about this site's master, though, which amounts to a haphazard collection of strange and useless facts that pretty much won't help you at all.
Note that the views expressed on this site do not necessarily reflect those of Phil's employer, its business partners, its clients, or anyone or anything that doesn't come from Phil's demented imagination. Hell, to be perfectly honest, even Phil disagrees with what he thinks sometimes.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
This is the blog of Phil Gomes, SVP with Edelman Digital and senior advisor to the Society for New Communications Research. This blog not only discusses PR and media matters, but Phil's everyday observations about a variety of topics. Phil currently resides in Chicago, IL.
- phil[at]
philgomes.com
SYNDICATE
Feedburner
YAHOO! IM
SKYPE
PITCH POLICY
MY PHOTOS
| www.flickr.com |
COMMENT AND TRACKBACK POLICY
Comments and trackbacks are unmoderated, though I will delete the patently offensive ones.
Any comments and trackbacks are the opinions of the individual writer of those comments and trackbacks, and not those of Phil Gomes, his employer, its clients, or its business partners. If you have a bone to pick, bug the people who wrote the comment or trackback.
