::fibreculture:: The End of Rupert Murdoch?

[Ricken Patel - Avaaz.org]

Dear friends,



For decades Murdoch has ruled with impunity -- making and breaking  
governments with his vast media empire. But we're fighting back, and  
winning! We played a key role in stopping Murdoch's grab for media  
control in the UK. Now we're taking our red-hot UK campaign global, to  
roll back the Murdoch menace everywhere with campaigns, investigations  
and legal action. Click to donate:


Hacking murdered children's phones, paying off police, destroying  
evidence of crimes, threatening politicians -- UK leaders say Rupert  
Murdoch's empire has "entered the criminal underworld". For decades,  
Murdoch has ruled with impunity -- making and breaking governments  
with his vast media holdings and scaring opponents into silence, but  
we're fighting back, and winning!

Through almost 1 million actions, 7 campaigns, 30,000 phone calls,  
investigations and countless stunts and legal tactics, we've played a  
lead role and stopped Murdoch from buying over 50% of UK commercial  
media! Now we're taking our red-hot UK campaign global, to roll back  
the Murdoch menace everywhere.

Here's the plan: together we can a) hire investigators to expose  
Murdoch's corrupt tactics beyond the UK b) organize prominent voices  
to break the cycle of fear and speak out on this issue and c) mobilise  
people in key countries behind new laws and legal actions that stop  
Murdoch and clean up our media for good.

Avaaz members live in every country where Murdoch works, making our  
movement the only one that can truly take a campaign against his  
global empire and win. The time is now -- If just 20,000 of us donate  
a small amount each, we can seize this once-in-a-generation chance.  
Click below to chip in:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_donate/?vl

For weeks, nearly daily revelations have uncovered the extent of  
Murdoch media's corruption in the UK. His operatives hacked the phones  
of thousands of people, including grieving widows and soldiers who  
died in Iraq, stole a Prime Minister's bank information and harassed  
him for 10 years, paid huge sums to police officers, and Rupert's son,  
James Murdoch, himself authorized hush money to victims.

But this is the tip of the iceberg -- Murdoch is a global problem.  
He's famous for dictating editorial positions to his papers. He  
corrupts and controls democracies by pushing politicians to back his  
extremist ideas on war, torture and a host of other planetary ills,  
and destroying the careers of politicians with smear campaigns unless  
they do his bidding. In the US, he helped elect George W. Bush and has  
most of the Republican presidential candidates actually on his payroll  
(see sources below). His Fox News Network spread lies to promote the  
war in Iraq, pushed resentment of Muslims and immigrants and spawned  
the right-wing tea party. Maybe worst of all, he has helped block  
critical global action on climate change.

Murdoch's reign of fear is breaking down, and many are on the edge of  
speaking out against his tactics. The dam is about to break in the US,  
Australia and elsewhere, but we need to give it an urgent push by  
investigating Murdoch further, organising high profile opposition, and  
making sure that our politicians pass laws that will clean up our  
media for good. Let's make it happen together:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_donate/?vl

Our community kept campaigning on this issue when almost everyone else  
in the UK gave up hope. Because we're people-powered, we don't have  
the same fear of Murdoch that almost everyone else does. It's part of  
the promise that people power has for change in the world. Today, hope  
is breaking out in the UK -- let's take it global.

With determination,

Ricken, Emma, Maria Paz, Giulia, Luis, Alice, Brianna and the rest of  
the Avaaz team

SOURCES:

Decision on BSkyB takeover could take weeks after surge in online  
campaigning (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/07/07/decision-on-bskyb-takeove_n_892244.html

BSkyB bid final clearance unlikely to be given before September (The  
Guardian)
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt will take 'several weeks' to review  
100,000-plus submissions on News Corp/BSkyB takeover
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/07/bskyb-bid-final-celarance-september

Murdoch maimed by social media (The Scotsman)
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/opinion/Lesley-Riddoch-Murdoch-maimed-by.6799263.jp?articlepage=1

Who is Rupert Murdoch? (Center for American Progess)
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/07/b122948.html

The global reach of Murdoch's News Corp (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14104349

Rebekah Brooks must go over Milly 'hacking' - Miliband (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14027879

Latest Updates on British Phone Hacking Scandal (New York Times)
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/latest-updates-on-british-phone-hacking-scandal/

Fox News 2012? Nearly All Potential GOP Presidential Candidates On FNC  
Payroll (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/27/fox-news-has-nearly-all-p_n_740070.html


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Avaaz.org is a 9-million-person global campaign network that works to  
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