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Beware of murdochracy

"In 1983, there were 50 major corporations dominating the world’s media. By 2002, this had been reduced to nine. Rupert Murdoch says that eventually there will be three, including his own. If we accept this, media and information control will be the same, and we shall all be citizens of a murdochracy."

So ends a piece by well known and much awarded journalist, commentator, author and film-maker John Pilger in a piece "Welcome To The World’s First Murdochracy" on Information Clearing House.

Pilger, rightly points up the singularly unfortunate influence of the Sun King [coincidentally celebrating his 78th birthday yesterday] in the realm of politics around the world. It's a troubling piece for it highlights how politicians have effectively been ensnared by Murdoch in order to curry favour with his media empire. It leads to such drivel as this:

"Murdoch’s most unabashed, if entertaining retainer is Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of The Australian. On one his adoring trips to the United States, home of Murdoch HQ, Sheridan wrote, “The US is the greatest possible argument for media deregulation. Every morning, I flick between Fox, CNN and MSNBC as I eat my cereal … why did it take so long for pay TV to get to Australia? …” He was referring, as if instinctively, to his master’s pay TV company, Foxtel. As for terrorism, Sheridan blames “Pilgerist Chomskyism” for “ideologically fuelling the followers of Osama bin Lenin, sorry Laden.”

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