News International
Contents
News International/News Corporation
News International is the company responsible for managing the media interest of its owner Rupert Murdoch.
The media interests of News International in the United Kingdom include:
- BSkyB (39% Stake)
- The Times
- The Sunday Times
- The Sun
- The News of The World (now defunct)
- The London Paper
- Harper Collins (Publishing house)
In the United States Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp owns:
Media monopoly
The main concern with Rupert Murdoch's media monopoly is that he can use it to manipulate public opinion and therefore put pressure on politicians who oppose his business interests. In October 2003 in the United States a study by the nonpartisan Program on International Policy Attitudes showed that 60% of U.S. citizens believed either that, clear evidence had been found of links between Iraq and Al Qaeda; W.M.D. had been found in Iraq; world public opinion favored the U.S. going to war with Iraq. 80% of the people who believed these falsehoods received their news primarily from Rupert Murdoch's Fox News. The clear bias of Fox News has not been displayed in The Times but Krugman argues that "a number of former Times employees have said that there was pressure to slant coverage — and everyone I’ve seen quoted defending Mr. Murdoch’s management is still on his payroll" [2].
Legal tax avoidance
News Corporation legally avoid paying tax in the United Kingdom by registering for tax purposes in subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Virgin Islands and the Dutch Antilles. If Newscorp payed tax at the lowest available rate of 30% they would in the 11 years from 1991-2002 generated £350 million of tax revenue enough to build seven new hospitals, 50 secondary schools or 300 primary schools. The huge corporation managed to pay virtually no tax at all [3].
The corporation's CEO, Rupert Murdoch's newspapers regularly attack people whom they deem to be benefit 'scroungers' [4]. When Tony Blair was UK Prime minister he secured the support of Murdoch's newspapers. Although he failed to tackle the corporation's reluctance to contribute tax revenues to the U.K. economy he did manage to lobby the Italian government on Rupert Murdoch's behalf on loosening anti-monopoly legislation that hindered his business interest [5].
Lobbyists
Former lobbying firms
References
- ↑ Richard Wray, Murdoch faces scrutiny over media influence, 25-May-2007, Accessed 19-January-2009
- ↑ Paul Krugman, The Murdoch Factor, The New York Times, 29 June 2007, Accessed 19 January 2009
- ↑ Nick CohenOne way to get very rich: Do what so many of New Labour's business backers do and stash your cash in a tax haven, The Guardian, 24-February-2002, Accessed 24-January-2009.
- ↑ George Pascoe-Watson, Labour Blitz on Dole Scroungers, 18-July-2008, Accessed 24-January-2009
- ↑ Nick Cohen, One way to get very rich:Do what so many of New Labour's business backers do and stash your cash in a tax haven, The Guardian, 24-February-2002, Accessed 24-January-2009.
