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Media
mogul Murdoch might mangle Myspace
Our
view
If
William Randolph Hearst were alive today,
would he have invested in the Internet?
Sitting atop his castle in San Simeon,
would he, a man with god-like powers
of influence from his massive media kingdom,
have scoffed at the idea of a new digital
age?
It’s a fairly easy one to call. After all, this was a man who rejected
investing in the movie business, thinking printed words were more powerful
than Hollywood. He believed the newspaper press could do more to crush a man
than any movie. History shows today just how wrong he was. If his assumptions
were true, filmmaker Michael Moore wouldn’t have had so much success
criticizing Roger Smith, Charleston Heston and President George W. Bush.
Today’s comparable all-powerful media emperor, Rupert Murdoch, has not
made the same mistake as Hearst by rejecting the new media, which today is
the digital torrent of societal change. But who is this Murdoch guy anyway,
and why should you care?
Murdoch owns much of what you watch or read, including cable channels, newspapers,
magazines and a movie studio. Most notable of his assets is Fox, the company
that brings you Fox News and is involved with movies such as “Titanic.”
Murdoch’s influence on the entire world is incredibly substantial. According
to “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism,” a film
that presents evidence of an ideological conservative bias on the Fox News
Network, Murdoch’s media properties reach an astonishing three-fourths
of the world’s population.
Murdoch recently purchased Intermix, which also happens to own a Web site so
many of us have come to waste time on — Myspace.com. Your space has now
become Murdoch’s space and his plans for it will surely ruffle some feathers.
The accusation that he will implant even more of his conservative bias into
something as widespread as Myspace is probably true, to an extent. Murdoch’s
News Corporation will use Myspace.com as a source of online advertising revenue
and cash in on the site’s recent popularity. It will become part of Fox’s
Interactive Media unit, and according to News Corporation, “provide a
richer experience for today’s Internet users.”
Is his latest move part of a big massive conservative conspiracy, as what will
surely be claimed in the months to come? The only true answer to that claim
is that the answer will never be universal.
In any case, keep an eye out on your Myspace for new developments. You might
see a link to Bill O’Reilly or, better yet, an online closeout of “Titanic” DVDs. |
