Ever since he burst into Britain four decades ago by snapping the country’s largest newspaper out from underneath his competitors, Rupert Murdoch has come to secure a firm and powerful grip around the throat of the United Kingdom’s media. The Australian-born, self-described “billionaire tyrant” now controls nearly 40 percent of the national press, owns one of the world’s biggest book publishers, and has monopoly control over the country’s satellite television service.

But as Murdoch continues to exploit his power to exert political and personal influence, his growing hold on the media has become increasingly controversial and unpopular with the UK public. When Murdoch’s BSkyB television service recently swooped in to acquire a sizable stake of ITV, the largest free-to-air commercial television channel in the nation, media activists, regulatory bodies and even the government are all saying the “Dirty Digger” has gone too far.

Murdoch is known as an extremely hands-on proprietor, choosing editors who follow his orders and political dictates. “Every media property Murdoch has owned has been put to his political purposes,” said Ben Bagdikian, author of The Media Monopoly, “as is demonstrated by how he uses the Fox networks to project right-wing politics into news and commentary and to cheapen the national culture.” The same is true of his UK newspapers.

When Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, Murdoch’s newspapers were her biggest cheerleaders, urging and applauding the Conservative government’s push to privatize industries. His reward came in 1981 when Murdoch acquired the upmarket Times and Sunday Times and the required investigation by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission was ignored. In 1990, his new satellite service was also exempt from cross-ownership laws at a time when other media groups were banned from owning additional newspapers and television stations.

Murdoch shifted his newspapers’ influential favor in 1995 to Tony Blair’s Labour Party, which went on to win three straight general elections. But such support came with a price. Desperate to keep Murdoch’s endorsement, Blair avoided pursuing policies the media baron disagreed with. The public’s concern about Murdoch’s power came to a head with the Labour Party’s 2003 Communications Act, which contained the controversial “Murdoch clause” that further loosened media ownership rules.

However, when BSkyB, run by Murdoch’s son James, acquired a 17.9 percent share of ITV last November, the UK government finally put its foot down. The Communications Act did permit BSkyB to acquire 20 percent, but it was the circumstances behind the £940 million ($1.9 billion) share acquisition that generated so much contention and showed just how manipulative Murdoch’s empire has become.

BSkyB’s acquisition was commonly interpreted as a move to block NTL (now Virgin Media) from buying ITV and developing it into a serious competitor to BSkyB. For all of Murdoch’s fine talk about competition and choice in the UK, he went on a fierce attack to prevent the very thing he supposedly defends so he can maintain his tight grip on the country’s media.

Murdoch’s aggression has finally begun to raise the ire of the country’s regulatory bodies. As a result of the ITV acquisition, the Office of Fair Trading and Ofcom have expressed concerns about whether BSkyB’s dominance limits media diversity and weakens competition. In May, Trade Minister Alistair Darling ordered an investigation by the Competition Commission into the acquisition. Considering Labour’s subservience to Murdoch, it’s an incredible reversal.

Media reform activists in the UK have seized the opportunity around the ITV controversy to broaden the debate about Murdoch’s predatory role in the nation’s media and politics. A growing coalition of trade unionists, journalists, citizens’ groups and politicians have recently launched a Stop Murdoch campaign in hopes of pressuring political parties before the next general election to change media ownership laws and loosen the UK from the Dirty Digger’s clench.

Granville Williams is a National Council member of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom (cpbf.org.uk).

COMMENTS:

We all must not forget that the Plutocratic media businessman and unelected politician Rupert Murdoch got the reward of his USA citizenship and Fox TV/Movies as a result of being a CIA/UK-USA media agent who overthrew the former Australian Prime Minister/Australian Labor Party Leader Gough Whitlam who made moves against the USA/UK-USA spybases in Australia.
Colin Bruce Milne

An interesting article but what's with the receNTLy, is someone trying to influence us???
Drew

The mysterious appearance of NTL was caused by a find-and-replace error when this article was posted. The typos have now been fixed.
Moderator

There was once a time when evil was brought down in a way that did not require the use of corrupt systems of law. I am sure you can guess how. Direct action can save the world.
Daniel

Virgin Media is just a licensed name for NTL. God do your research.
Danny

There is one thing Murdoch cannot manage and that is the content which MySpace members provide. Protest! Subvert! The master's tools can bring down the master's house.
Tigana

Meme this fool.
Sapian

Yes, for someone who seems to be such a champion of media balance and diversity, I find the "receNTLy" bits the author slipped in to be rather disconcerting.
Christian

This man will destroy what little we have left of democracy, if left unchecked. See a pretty good summary of his activities in Australia, US and UK at AmericanProgressive.org http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/07/b122948.html
Palema

spelling errors signify attention to detail. if a journalist or news group doesn't care enough to get their spelling right, they probably aren't too responsible about getting the facts straight, either.
ivy

Why are people commenting on spelling errors? Questionable priorities.
alex

Whosoever is writing in hysteria about the spelling mistakes might like to reflect on their level of paranoia before approaching any of these issues, because if you can't read and act rationally you can produce no better work than the distorted journalism pedalled by murdoch. Realise that reasonable action is the only way to make inroads, and that the aim should be to rise above the level of those people who exploit a lowest common denominator entertainment/news product. Subversion is a good tool but don't get wrapped up in the concepts...keep it real!
jenny

This guy needs to go the same place as Maxwell!! A watery grave/fish food gets my vote! He can't be aloud to OWN THE MEDIA! This man is Robert Maxwell 2!
allahtollah Kernow

The irony with all the world's problems lies in the fact that all people have the power to stop financing these tyrants, just STOP buying his shit
playtoh

Kudos to whoever knows what the article's title refers to!
Paul Friedrich

Our current form of capitalism supports and glorifies the existence of monopolies – it no longer includes balanced ideals of fair competition. Technically, it's not even capitalism anymore; rich corporate tyrants control the state rather than old fascist states of Mussolini and Hitler.
Joanna

i have traced all your ip addresses and will be getting you all one by one.
Rupert Murdoch

Murdoch is like Conrad Black. A person who is so arrogant, he believes his own p.r. Like Black, he's overdue to get his just rewards.
Mike Smith

I HOPE WE WILL NOT SOON SEE HIS FACE DICTATING ORDERS FROM THE ADVERTISEMENT SCREENS IN PICCADILLY CIRCUS....
SKYFEATHER

Rupert Murdoch plans to crush the American and United Kingdom media system, then infest the world with lies, cover ups, and stuff to make him look good.
jared

look what happened when Hitler or Mussolini controlled the media!
dak

The ant is a remarkable creature. Through a series of complex chemical compounds, what little brain power they have is used to achieve their role in the colony. It's been happening for countless years with nearly 100% efficiency. Replace the complex chemical compounds with...say...a continuous stream of auditory and visual stimulation. We have been brainwashing ourselves since the advent of printed type, which in the grand scheme of things is not too long. By eliminating popular dissent through objective journalism, mankind programs itself into colony-like behavior. We are the ones that watch the pathetic excuses of news programs on cable. How else would we feel repulsed? Rupert my have the money to influence, but we have the ability to refuse. We have individuality. We have voices. We are NOT ants. THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED
K. Cawood

"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth our own excepted in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." — The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume I, Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum,of Springfield, Illinois January 27, 1838, p. 109.
James J. Pond

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht. I can't say I'm not disappointed by you lot.
Paul Friedrich

Please don't quote the guy who only released the slaves when it served his purpose and one who fought to keep the South a part of the US when the US was lending a hand to anyone who wanted to start a revolution and win their one form of self-government!
Joanna Johnson

Colin Bruce Milne, you need a history lesson on Whitlam's dismissal. And for humour's sake, Murdoch called himself a billionaire tyrant when he appeared in an episode of The Simpsons. Anyone here watch The Simpsons?
whitey

Lincoln was always dedicated to ending slavery. But Southern politicians would stop him from every time he inched closer to it. Eventually they just blew and tried to secede. Just because this is a representative democracy, it doesn't mean the right choice is always a buttons press away.
rasheed

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