Murdoch Goons Pass The Begging Bowl

Many businesses have been adversely affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, and the subsequent imposition of lockdowns in countries around the world. But while pubs, clubs, restaurants, tourist destinations, cinemas, theatres, and a whole range of High Street businesses are powerless to do much more than sit it out, one group has decided to canvass new business. And that group has the biggest megaphone.

That’s because the business concerned is our free and fearless press, which is now, whisper it quietly, suffering grievously from the twin pressures of lost sales, and lost advertising. And while local and regional titles deserve our support, one national group does not: the Murdoch empire is handing round the begging bowl.

So it was that Sun political editor Tom Newton Dunn told followers “All of us working on newspapers at the moment are doing our level best to provide trusted information about the #covid19 crisis. Please support our industry and #buyapaper”. Jack Blackburn, (Times) added “Like countless other industries, journalism is in trouble right now. Local papers do some of the hardest and most important work. If you can, #buyapaper”.

Projecting on to those local titles they couldn’t usually give a crap about. On they went: Matt Lawton (Times), pleaded “At the weekend our newspapers revealed that the owners of the ExCel were charging the NHS and Scotland’s chief medical officer was visiting her second home. So, please, keep buying papers. #buyapaper”. Ally Farrell, also of News UK, listed their titles’ recent achievements.

The Sun on Sunday’s deeply unpleasant political editor David Wooding claimed “The frothy coffee shops might be closed but our newspapers are still available - providing trusted information, not myths … For less than that cup of cappuccino #buyapaper”. Sathnam Sanghera (writes for the Times) was also projecting: “Local newspapers in Britain face a crisis too and it's a potential national tragedy”. Yeah, right.

Matt Chorley (Times) pleaded “I’ve been lucky to work at some great papers … Some won’t survive this. And we will miss them when they’re gone. If you can, safely, #buyapaper”. Martyn Ziegler (Times) added “local newspapers are in crisis - please buy one whenever you can otherwise many will simply cease to exist. #buyapaper”.

So more projection, then. Ryan Sabey (Sun) was more direct. “Journalists, production staff, printers and distributors work 24/7 to deliver the country’s brilliant newspapers - providing a lifeline of trusted information for millions during this crisis. A paper costs less than a cup of coffee. Do your bit. #buyapaper”. And his singularly repellant colleague Dan Wootton added “Do your bit and keep journalism alive for future generations. #buyapaper”.

It’s at times like this, though, that people realise just what is essential and what is not. A daily paper is rapidly falling into the latter category, especially when, unlike the claims of the Murdoch goons, it is bringing not trusted stories, but an incessant diet of bigotry, hatred, political propaganda, and worthless and uninformed punditry.

Our free and fearless press is bottom of the European trust league. The Murdoch titles play their full part in that ranking. Karma can be a beast sometimes.

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