Rupert Murdoch - A Man Out Of Time

Time was when Creepy Uncle Rupe could say what he chose to say, and the rest of the Fourth Estate would keep schtum. Broadcast media would think twice before passing even moderately adverse comment. Those times have gone for ever, and the person letting the whole world know is Murdoch himself, after he once again got hold of that Twitter account, opened mouth, and with no subtlety at all, inserted foot.

That's what I think of youse bladdy social media commentary, ya bladdy Pommie drongoes!

Showing that he really needs to follow the advice of the old Ford Fiesta advert, and Get Out More, Rupe mused “Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognise and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible”. And there was more: “Big jihadist danger looming everywhere from Philippines to Africa to Europe to US. Political correctness makes for denial and hypocrisy”.

If it were just another octogenarian musing on his narrow view of the world, nobody would take much notice. But it isn’t: Murdoch controls media interests across the globe, and in his native Australia to a degree that gives him monopoly power, and, no doubt by sheer coincidence, coarsens and polarises political debate there. Fortunately, the reaction was rather more forceful than he might have expected.

The Guardian noted “the tweet angered many who criticised Murdoch for holding a religion of billions of peaceful people responsible for the actions of a minority of extremists … One Twitter user referenced Murdoch’s own responsiblity in the case of the News Corp phone-hacking scandal”. Ah yes, the one about he who is without sin casting the first stone. But this time the Guardian was accompanied by the Mail.

“Controversial media mogul took to Twitter after Paris terror attacks … Claims even peaceful Muslims must take responsibility for 'jihadist cancer’ … His words sparked a storm on the social network who expressed disgust … Maintained stance, adding 'political correctness' makes for ‘denial’" ran the Mail’s sub-headings. ITV reported the story, telling “Backlash as Murdoch says Muslims should be 'held responsible' for 'jihadist cancer’”.

Fortunately for Rupe, there was a ready supply of obedient poodles ready to put forward not dissimilar points of view, from the serially clueless Tim Montgomerie warning that “The international jihadist movement is at war with us and we have to confront it” to Melanie “not just Barking but halfway to Upminster” Phillips ranting “Myopic west shocked by Paris atrocity [there was only one?] but still unlikely to emerge from complacency and denial”.

But the voices of those who have shamelessly sold themselves to Creepy Uncle Rupe count for very little when even the Mail says of the Twitter backlash “His words sparked a storm on the social network, with many Muslim users outraged as Murdoch appeared to lay the blame for the terrorist attacks on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket on an entire religion, which has more than a billion followers”.

The age of Rupert Murdoch was for a time, but not for all time. It is drawing to a close.