Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Rupert Murdoch: "It's for them to pay"

Dear Murdy,

You candy ass.

That you can sit up there like that eschewing culpability after so brazenly basking in all the fruits of your underling's nasty little secrets turns my stomach.

Of course, I'm giving the word "secrets" a pretty broad definition. You don't really believe a word that redheaded is spewing, do you? Anyone who's spent time around the journalism biz knows that writers and editors talk constantly about stories, sources and tips.

I wouldn't be surprised if that chick wasn't forwarding the juiciest messages right along with the lot of them, farting and giggling and snickering as they all listened in on what undoubtedly became jokes in the lunch room.

This doe-eyed blinking "I didn't know anything about it" act might work in the short term, but there are plenty more shoes to fall, Murdy. Why ... I do believe I hear one now! Check the 33 minute mark of this podcast, wherein one of your former writers, Bobby Block, tells specific stories about the "flexible ethics" that permeate your empire.

Oh yes, the tongues shall wag, Murdy baby, and when they do, I suspect they will reveal an organization dependent upon filth and lies from top to bottom.

"It's for them to pay" may end up being some of the most famous last words ever. 

Love,

Erin

*  *  *

Confidential note to the readership: I'll bet Andrew Brietbart is shitting bricks right now.


* * *

68 comments:

Vince said...

pour amusment. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14202349

Anonymous said...

Yea but you know what? In the end, all of this is bullshit posturing...same situation as some Congressional committee slapping the hands of the Big Oil CEOs. Tsk tsk. It's all show. We all know who runs the machinery here. So he goes before Parliament, takes their shots, apologises, feign ignorance, if we're even lucky he ceremoniously steps aside, then business as usual baby.

Anonymous said...

Read the Wall Street Journal editorial on this. If you have a strong stomach.
Mike R

Tony Rugare said...

Anything to the rumor that the movie "Citizen Murdoch" is in the making?

Anonymous said...

awww, tell me it ain't so , the press is corrupt !!! Shocked I am. Back to the beach.







James Old Guy

Unknown said...

great post Erin ... it sickens me to the core here in the UK

Erin O'Brien said...

This ain't "the press," it's Murdoch's empire.

Anonymous said...

Tony-see my previous comment below(7/15) "On Murdoch"
Mike R

Kirk said...

"The Murdochs plan to launch a full investigation to find out who is running the company they're in charge of."

--Andy Borowitz

Anonymous said...

Great story in slate.com today re the Hearst tabloid era, among others.
Mike R

Harry Finch said...

It's almost the classic tragedy: the man who hates monarchy becomes the feared emperor.

Cleveland Bob said...

I just knew that you were going to break out the "candy ass".

Well played, young lady.

Bill said...

This HUGE story will last another few days. The most sinful have already been arrested, Cameron is off the hook, The Murdochs will make a few management changes and settle some class action stuff and that will be that. Those of you enjoying watching Murdoch grovel, have seen all there is to be seen. This is about a 0000 pin or a 1234 pin that anyone could use to look at someone else's voice mail. That's it. Oh, and the big news that the press and the sitting government are close. Of course we can't relate to that, here in America. Move along folks, there's nothing to see.

Harry Finch said...

Bill - Please define another few days.

It doesn't matter how simple the PIN combination may be, accessing someone's voice mail without their permission is a criminal act.

And that's not it.

This is about police corruption, this is about political corruption.

Yes, corruption is an old story. But we keep telling it, and the day we fail to show outrage over it is the first day of the end of our republic and Britain's strange non-republic republic.

Man, we gotta get you a job with Fox. You've got the talk down pat.

Anonymous said...

EOB on Fox? Not bloody likely. I suspect that she has it on parental control. Like anybody with half a brain.

Harry Finch said...

Bill on Fox.

Anonymous said...

Murdoch is worse than a banker looking for a bailout.

And the British are not very forgiving in such matters.

And who cares what Breitbart thinks. He's a racist piece of shit sucking up oxygen someone more deserving could be breathing.

Erin O'Brien said...

Hey Anon: it's 97 degrees here and I've had a couple of beers. You don't know anything about me, but I know your a cowardly anonymous candy ass.

Kiss my ass.

Erin O'Brien said...

And no, I don't have A.C.

Harry Finch said...

Speaking of beer, Ms OB, you will be pleased to learn that I have fallen off the wagon and am enjoying my view of the world from the ditch.

Bill said...

Harry: 3 to 5 days. That's a few. Of course it's illegal. I'm just saying that the most interesting part of this is over and has already started fading from the top stories.

Erin O'Brien said...

Things got pretty surly around here last night!

Harry Finch said...

Bill, I agree this will likely not last long as a headline in the US. But in the UK, I doubt very much this is going to blow over.

Bill said...

Murdoch's not trending on twitter. I have to admit, though, that watching his granddaughter, er wife, spike that shaving cream pie back into the face of the intruder, was pretty awesome.

Erin O'Brien said...

um ... I guess I took that the wrong way anon. Mea culpa and apologies.

It was a long hot night, although that's not much of an excuse.

Anonymous said...

The theory that the Murdoch story is going to die out after a few days is interesting. News Corp. is a US corporation. Rupert Murdoch is an American citizen. The Foreign Corrupt Practises Act applies to crimes committed in the UK by News Corp. and/or its agents.
Mike R

Harry Finch said...

I don't think the story will die out, but it seems likely to me that it will move to the back burner in the US. The DOJ investigation into FCPA violations will take a few years, and I'd predict that if charges were made they'd be against someone further down the chain from Murdoch.

The UK is a different matter. This is the stuff that can bring down a government.

VideoDude said...

We are already into the third week of coverage. Let's not forget why this all started. Someone working for the "News Of the World" hacked the cell phone of a dead kidnapped girl. This is not a Left/Right issue. This is about being human. Which obiviously most of the people in Murdoch's empire are not!

Bill said...

I'm a little more concerned about a cable tv host who's fired because he was too tough on the President. MSNBC fired Cenk Uygur for that offense. And, he's a progressive. Imagine if there was no Fox or talk radio.

Anonymous said...

Non-sequiter...recompute and try again...Mike R

twinkly sparkles said...

Here, Erin, how's this:

I love when you post about political shit, but I can never comment. It's so fucking crazy around here. How do you do it?

Your use of the words "candy ass" and your late-night rant in anon's face were worth the price of admission today. GOD BLESS YOU O'BRIEN!

I'm sitting in my candy-ass air conditioned house waiting for my buns to freeze. Hallelujah!

twinkly

Hal said...

Breitbart's really been pinging the gaydar lately.

Bill said...

Hey Anon: How about a couple more, wise ass, "non sequitur" squaks? (I spelled it correctly for you)

Anonymous said...

If I hacked Benjamin Netanyahu's voice mail and discovered a plan to launch the Israeli Air Force against Tehran and published it online and therefore delayed the start of WW III would I be considered as big a scoundrel as Murdoch?

In other words, is there a potential downside to this situation that prevents hinders subversive action by members of the press/public?

RJ
(Who can't be found in violation of his self-imposed ban on political commentary because he didn't offer an opinion)

Anonymous said...

Bill-Nice job, but still e-relevent, tri egen.
By the way you've murdered the Queen's English with your spelling errors in this forum many times more than I.
Forgotten 'rediculous' during the birther thread? And do you really find a personnel change on a cable news network more troublesome than the News Corp. scandal?. That's just rediculous.
Mike R.
ps I hope you didn't hurt yourself using spell-check. Wise-ass enough for you?
BTW, it's 'squawk',

Anonymous said...

Or, you could hack into Palin's email and get the press to publish them. Oh, that's already been done.

Bill said...

Mike R.: You're right! I should not call anyone out about spelling. Got me there. Yes, when a network fires a guy for being critical of the President, I find it pretty troubling.

VideoDude said...

So, hacking a dead girls cell phone is not so bad? Or is it because it was a Rupert Murdoch company?

According to Cenk in an interview last night it was, Washington insiders, mostly Republican who threatened MSNBC with [cutting off access], if they didn't let him go. MSNBC crumbled!

Anonymous said...

Bill...Before they announced Sharpton was taking over that time slot, you didn't know Cenk Uygur from Weeb Eubanks. To paraphrase your condescending snip to Mrs. C during the 'pledge' thread, 'Please! Don't make shit up'. Trying to create and then exploit a false equivalency is pretty common Fox News tactical doctrine. You can do better, no?
Mike R.

Erin O'Brien said...

Cenk Uygur? Weeb Eubanks?

Sounds like James Bond villains to me.

Reading this thread makes my head spin, but at least it's better than worrying about the country going into default.

Bill said...

Mike R.: No.

Anonymous said...

In developments today in this 'move along, nothing to see' story, FBI and Department of Justice investigations are underway. Actor Jude Law alleges he was hacked at JFK airport in 2005, part of a on-going pattern of criminal behavior
which would be predicate to a RICO indictment if verified.
The SEC is looking at civil claims by News Corp shareholders.
MikeR
wv: 'ditellu'-"Wha'd'itellu? Fox is Faaaaaackkked'

Bill said...

Yawn.

In the mean time, it appears that a Timothy McVeigh type has bombed the main Government building in Oslo. (not yet sure it was a TM type or not. Just pretty sure it had nothing to do with Islamic fundamentalism) Not much coverage yet. Could have been caused by a phone hacker. More news to follow. Maybe

VideoDude said...

I bet you would be a little more interested in this story, if it was MSNBC or CNN who had hacked the cell phone of a Dead little girl!

Word Verification meaning "catorem" - When you have a lot of people around, How do you feed them? Catorem!

Bill said...

vdude: The elder Murdoch personally visited the family of that little girl and apologized for that dispicable act. He did it without fanfare. I am interested in the story but, inspite of the fact that the FOX competitors are trying to keep it alive, I'm still betting it will die quickly. Hey! If it gets bigger it won't be the first time I was wrong. This is an opinion post. Right?

VideoDude said...

Well, Bill, it has been almost a month and it is still going strong, and actually expanding.

Note: Oslo terrorist was is a Right-Wing Christian who hates Islam.

Bill said...

Vdude: I haven't seen any headlines about the Murdoch story. I even checked the Times of London (to read about Amy Winehouse). btw she did the best version ever of "will you still love me tomorrow", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26vViD2K8jc Do yourself a favor and check it out.

It took and hour an a half for the police to respond to the shooting at the kids camp in Norway. They couldn't find a helocopter. Seriously. wonder how many lives could have been saved if one of the youth leaders had a gun.

Erin O'Brien said...

Here you go, Bill. That one's even dated July 24, 2011.

Bill said...

E: An opinion piece by a commentary writer with an axe to grind. Not a reporter. I'm sure there are some articles but nothing front page, that I could find. Please don't find a front page headline. I hate to be wrong.

Man, I wish I knew how to link to that Amy Winehouse youtube of "will you still love me tomorrow. I just listened to the whole thing again. Under the circumstances it brings tears to your eyes.

Harry Finch said...

If only there had been more bullets flying around that Norwegian campground...

That's always the sensible approach: more guns.

Bill said...

One bad guy with a gun. No good guys with a gun. Good guys hunted down like dogs.

Harry Finch said...

If everyone walked around with a gun ready for action, we'd all be safer. Since there's no data to support or refute that proposition, I guess there's nothing I can say.

But it's not a world I want to live in.

And it's The Times, not the Times of London. That's a bit unfair on my part, but I can't help myself.

Bill said...

Harry:
I MUST be more careful. I was going to say London Times. But, who cares? Ha! It is sometimes referred to, particularly in North America, as the 'London Times' or 'The Times of London'. ...


Nidal Malik Hasan shot and killed 13 people, 12 of them soldiers at Ft Hood. They were unarmed because they were not allowed to carry their weapons on base. Had any of them been armed lives would have been saved.

Anonymous said...

The FBI shot Fred Hampton while he was asleep. Maybe if he had been awake a few more people would have died.
Guns are Good.

RJ
(In relapse)

Harry Finch said...

That is a supposition, Bill, not a fact. We can only know what did happen, not what might have.

And yes, I am a dick for making the The Times comment.

Bill said...

RJ: Guns are neither good nor bad. Neither are knives or hammers. People? That's another story. Welcome back.

Harry Finch said...

I noticed Murdoch's name on the front page of today's Sunday NYTs

Erin O'Brien said...

YAY YAY RJ!!

Erin O'Brien said...

Ex-Schools Chief Emerges as Unlikely Murdoch Ally

That's the link I lifted from the NYT. Oh, and the topic just came up on ABC's "This Week."

Bill said...

If a story about the NY ex schools chief and a "mention" on This Week is all there is, then, I guess my point is made! I wonder if the "mention" was to say that it's dropped out of the news.

RJ: I don't remember Fred Hampton. I do remember Fred Sanford.

VideoDude said...

I bet it would be an important story to you, Bill, if MSNBC or CNN or ABC or CBS had hacked into the phones of Rush Limbaugh. Then I bet you would be beside yourself with righteous indignation. But since it is Right Wing lover Murdoch, who cares if a little girls loved ones were put through hell, right?

And if it isn't important, then why do you keep posting responses?

Bill said...

Vdude: The girls family was put through hell becase she's dead. Murdoch personally apologized, during a meeting with the family, for the voice mail hacking. Evidently, this hacking has been going on for years.

I post responses to defend my point of view.

VideoDude said...

"Evidently, this hacking has been going on for years."

But it is unimportant!?

So when a rich billionaire breaks the law, all he has to do is apologize.

Bill said...

Uncle!

Harry Finch said...

I cannot speak for others, Bill, but I accept your uncle!

Left, center, or right, we should all employ that expression more often.

Have a good Sunday.

Anonymous said...

"RJ: I don't remember Fred Hampton. I do remember Fred Sanford."

Bill

Just the way The Man would want it. Well said Whitey.

RJ

Bill said...

Whitey, a derogatory term for white people.

Feeling guilty about something RJ?

On leave from politics but not adverse to personal attacks and slurs?

philbilly said...

"Whitey, a derogatory term for white people."

I consider it a term of endearment.

Bart Simpson:
"What's wrong, Homer?"

Homer Simpson:
"Whitey's keepin me down."

Classic.

If those news organizations are really going to get RICO'ed,they're screwed. Deep pockets.