Should we
celebrate the end of Murdoch's power? His company still controls Sky and owns
the Times, Sunday Times and Sun in the UK, but there is no
doubt that his spell is broken.
Only days after he stepped out of the witness box at the Leveson
enquiry, leaving behind a bubbling rumpus in the four corners of the British
establishment, he was humiliated by the UK Parliament’s culture, media and
sport select committee which finally published its long-gestating report into the
phone-hacking scandal saying “We conclude, therefore, that Rupert Murdoch
is not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of major international
company."
Murdoch
was not the only one hung out to dry although the committee’s conclusions
exposed the cover up all the way to the top stating that Rupert “turned a blind
eye and exhibited willful blindness to what was going on in his companies”. His
son and assorted acolytes did not do any better. James Murdoch was excoriated
for "wilful ignorance" and Les Hinton, his hireling for 50 years as
complicit in a the cover-up. Colin Myler, News
of the World editor and Tom Crone, News International's lawyer, were
condemned for misleading parliament.
This is
not the end of the matter. Far from it! Lying to Parliament is serious stuff
and there are still plenty of horror stories ahead when former News of the World editor and David
Cameron's former spin doctor, Andy Coulson, and former News International
executive, Rebekah Brooks, appear at the Leveson inquiry. This may still reveal
the true nature and extent on how News International and its executives misled the select committee.
But while
the international media was still stuck in the unraveling of the Murdoch
empire, little has been said about the response John Hendy, Queen's Council for
the National Union of
Journalists (NUJ), managed to squeeze out of Murdoch at the Leveson Inquiry. He
quizzed him on press ethics, practices and culture, in particular the
treatment of journalists/photographers and the culture of bullying as factors
influencing unethical news gathering practices, his role in the creation of
trade union laws in the UK and why he would not recognise the NUJ to
represent its members at News International.
Murdoch
denied that News International’s management and standards committee “disclosed
any sources of any journalists at all”, and stressed that there has been
no investigation within his company of allegations of bullying. “They always
strike me as a very happy crowd” he said with a straight face.
When
asked if News International had discussions with Tony Blair or his officials
about trade union recognition provisions in labour law, Murdoch answered “no”
and when questioned by Lord Leveson about the NUJ’s conscience clause proposal,
he said “I think that’s a good idea.”
On
recognition of the NUJ, he retorted “Our journalists are perfectly free to make
complaints and perfectly free to join the NUJ. If they could find a majority of
our journalists who want to join the NUJ, we would have no choice…. I’d accept
their democratic decision.”
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, wasted
no time in stepping up the union’s campaign “It was heartening to hear Murdoch
envisage a future where the NUJ will be back representing journalists in News
International. Now that the owner of the UK’s largest media group has conceded
that he has no problem with his staff choosing to be represented by an
independent trade union of their choice instead of a management-imposed staff
association, I’m sure recruitment and organisation across the titles will see a
big boost. The NUJ will now step up its work supporting journalists and
building the recently-established News International NUJ branch in the coming
weeks and months.”
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