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  • Essay / Rupert Murdoch: Juggling media and politics

    You can't have a free democracy if you don't have a free media capable of providing vital, independent information to the people. - Rupert Murdoch As Murdoch's empire grew and his influence over public opinion strengthened, many political leaders viewed his media domain as a new medium through which they could promote their political campaigns. Most of these leaders generally fell on the right-wing spectrum and targeted the type of profile that Murdoch's papers attracted. The favors that Murdoch bestowed on these leaders were not without price, and as he moved from smut to propaganda, he himself increasingly dominated the political realm, which, according to Ted Turner, made him the most dangerous man in the world. His most scandalous and controversial political alliances were those involving Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Donald Trump. All of these politicians have two main things in common: each had significant power, whether president or prime minister, and the support of Rupert Murdoch. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay that raises the question: Does Rupert Murdoch pose a threat to our democracy? Murdoch and Thatcher As his empire expanded across the Atlantic, Murdoch focused his attention on England more specifically and its policies. With the Sun's growing anti-establishment success, its manifest political neutrality and the 1979 election campaign fast approaching, Thatcher and Murdoch found each other. With Murdoch's help, the connection between Thatcher and the Sun's readers was instantaneous. Murdoch then launches a propaganda campaign to promote his preferred candidate. Generally speaking, the media is responsible for four key things when involved in politics. The first is to emphasize the responsibility of government leaders to the people, to consolidate their media with the people to give them a sense of unity (We want what you want). , by prioritizing certain information that could be considered relevant to the election and finally, by educating the public so that they can make the best possible decision (Mintz, 2016). Murdoch, instead of informing his readers, almost seems to be asking them to vote for Thatcher. When the London Times was launched on the market in 1980, Murdoch made an offer, bearing in mind that before that he was the current owner of two of Britain's most important tabloids. This alone should have been enough to file a request for review with the Monopoly & Managers Commission, but it never was. For what ? Many suspected that Murdoch was freed because of his alliance with then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and their private "favour-for-favour" deal. To this day, no one can definitively prove these speculations, but they cannot deny them either. . However, in 2012 it was confirmed that Thatcher and Murdoch met in secret during ongoing negotiations regarding The Times and The Sunday Times. In 2015, The Guardian published an article accusing Thatcher of supporting Murdoch's candidacy in the Times and Sunday Times in exchange for a media boost at her newspapers (Manhattan Buzz, 2016).