FLASH: New York Times reports Murdoch uses media to gain influence

Water is wet, the WaPo finds Cheney is secretive and now the ol' Grey Lady digs up this using a team of at least four reporters on two contintents.

"Murdoch's vast media holdings give him a gamut of tools — not just campaign contributions, but also jobs for former government officials and media exposure that promotes allies while attacking adversaries, sometimes viciously — all of which he has used to further his financial interests and establish his legitimacy in the United States, interviews and government records show."

Here's my question, both of these stories were big time efforts and examples of top-notch journalism requiring thousands of hours of work. Yet, the Post and Times stories mostly confirm what the "conventional wisdom" or public perception has been for years about their respective topics. Can investigative journalism keep up with the 24/7 newscycle? Should it try? Should it seek out things that aren't already "out there"? And might these articles simply be used by conservatives that the media is out to get them?

 

Well, the depths of Cheney are worth plumbing.

Saying Murdoch has an ego is like saying water is wet.

 

Murdoch managed to get a waiver to own local television stations with some deals with politicans, including Teddy Kennedy, back in the 1980s. The New York Post is a loss leader but promotes his other properties, including television - otherwise the Post probably would have been shut down long ago because it is hard to make a profit on ads from strip clubs.

I think Murdoch is unique because most other media millionaires try to do something where they commit money or resources to some sort of legacy - a foundation to promote something or sponsoring some sort of improvement which will promote scholarship or charitable work - the Annenberg Foundation for example. Murdoch and News Corporations haven't seem to be visable on that front - I'm not saying it's right or wrong because sometimes those efforts are kind of like trying to buy your way into respectability heaven, but it seems different.