Debbie Schlussel: Get Ready for PAWNN, The Newspaper: Murdoch's Wall St. Journal Could Take Anti-Israel, Pan-Arabist Slant
A few months ago, on the day Rupert Murdoch announced his intent to bid on the Wall Street Journal, I warned you about Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal, who owns at least 5.46% of News Corporation (he said he planned to acquire more), Murdoch's company which runs FOX News Channel and his other properties. I've written about the Prince before, upon his acquisition of the significant amount of News Corp stock and right after 9/11. He's the one who offered Rudy Giuliani $10 million after the attacks if America would change its policy toward Israel, blaming American foreign policy for 9/11. (Rudy told him where to go.)
I told you how Al-Waleed bragged that when FOX News ran stories on the Muslim riots in France, he called Murdoch to complain. Within a half hour, FOX News stopped using "Muslim" riots and changed to "civilian" riots, even though all of the "civilians" were Muslims.
That's why I call FOX News Channel, "PAWNN"--the Prince Al-Waleed News Network. Since the Wall Street Journal is far more pro-Israel and anti-Islamist than FOX News, you can be sure Prince Al-Waleed will be having a lot of conversations with Murdoch objecting to the excellent Wall St. Journal editorials and editorial columnists. Get ready for PAWNN, The Newspaper.
Or maybe the editorials will be changing quickly . . . in the other direction. Today's New York Sun reports that Murdoch's son, James Murdoch--who may run the Journal operation--is virulently anti-Israel:
The just-published diaries of a communications director for Prime Minister Blair, Alastair Campbell, indicate that James Murdoch launched into a foul-mouthed tirade that suggested that the behavior of Palestinian Arabs was justified by their poor treatment by Israelis. The outburst occurred at a private dinner with his father, his brother, Lachlan, Mr. Blair, and others at no. 10 Downing St. in January 2002.The elder "Murdoch was at one point putting the traditional very right-wing view on Israel and the Middle East peace process and James said that he was 'talking f- nonsense.' [Rupert] Murdoch said he didn't see what the Palestinians' problem was and James said that it was that they were kicked out of their f— homes and had nowhere to f- live," Mr. Campbell recorded, adding that the News Corp. chairman was "very pro-Israel, very pro-Reagan." [DS: Now, he's very pro-Hillary.] . . .
James Murdoch, who heads News Corp.'s BSkyB satellite broadcasting division, has been intimately involved in the firm's $5 billion bid to take over Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal. The elder Murdoch brought James to a critical meeting last month in Manhattan at which the pair sought to win over members of the Bancroft family, which controls Dow Jones. . . .
It is widely assumed in financial and publishing circles that James Murdoch would have ultimate responsibility for overseeing operations at the Journal if the takeover bid is successful. James Murdoch, 35, is also seen as the most likely heir to chairmanship of News Corp. when his father, 76, retires.
Let's hope for the best with the Wall Street Journal. But expect the worst. Rupert Murdoch has a business to run . . . and a whiny, royal shareholder to please.
And he's shown he's all too willing to give in to that shareholders' demands. With news of his son running the show, looks like the cave-in will happen fast and easy.
PAWNN, The Newspaper.
Posted by Debbie on August 1, 2007 01:33 PM to Debbie Schlussel