Friday, May 11, 2007

Now this is priceless

Rupert Murdoch says global climate change is a serious issue and News Corp. is going to take major steps to become carbon neutral. Murdoch thinks global warming is real, he thinks its a serious problem, and he's making changes at all his companies. All this according to an editorial written by him in the New York Post.

But what happens now to all the deniers and doubters at Fox News.

For weeks, months and years, Fox News has been decrying global warming as leftist propaganda. To start how about this article that Fox News posted on its website, in a news position even though it is an anti-global warming screed. Guess now that Rupert is on the global warming team, this guy won't be getting many more invites to the corporate website.

But what about those Conservative and Fox News icons, Brit Hume and Sean Hannity. Two men who live to bash Al Gore as an alarmist and a cook. Brit Hume ran this piece to reduce the credibility of climate activists. He clearly chopped up some guys soundbyte to make it seem like he's saying we should reduce the number of people on earth, silly Brit. We all know his real point was that emissions dervied from human activity is the problem. Rupert probably wouldn't agree with you on that one.

How about another one of Brit's greatest hits. He ran this piece on May 2nd , again the aim seems to making global warming sound less legitimate. Cow flatulence and rice farming, oh Brit you're too funny.

And I don't want to keep picking on the hapless Hume but this one probably takes the cake. Murdoch is committed to making all of his businesses carbon-neutral, but Brit says that its not worthwhile. In fact, he says carbon neutrality is a rip off! A direct contradiction of everything the big boss man came out for. Not that I think Hume should be looking over his shoulder, worried if Murdoch will fire him. But I'm willing to bet that Brit will tone his rhetoric down a tad.

And we can't let Sean Hannity get away unscathed. Hannity, has a wavering position on global warming, it tends to be whatever fits his political need of the day. That isn't all too surprising, he is not a journalist, more of a political operative. In this interview, instead of debating the merits of global warming, he plays politics by attacking Al Gore. Politics not policy, salicious instead of substance. I'm guessing Rupert Murdoch lives the kind of personal lifestyle that Al Gore does. Does that mean Sean Hannity will go after his boss with the same vigor?

So let's break down the fundamental question behind all of this. Will these conservative crusaders no longer hammer "liberals" for blowing the global warming issue out of proportion? My guess is probably not, they're too beholden to Murdoch to slam an issue he has raised the profile of. They will find other things to lash out at the left on.

But won't it be so hypocritical if all the people on Fox News stop calling global warming a farce? This is a fair and balanced media organization, so we should expect them to continue to advocate both sides of the issue, right? They never did advocate both sides of the issue and they probably won't going forward either. They will just ignore it.

All this speaks to an even larger issue of one man's influence (Murdoch) over the journalistic product of an entire organization. His announcement yesterday could dramatically alter the course of Fox News, the New York Post and countless other journalism outlets around the world.

I wonder what the Wall Street Journal's position on global warming is?

1 Comments:

At Friday, May 11, 2007, Blogger AJS said...

Great post and fantastic research. I think you're right, they can't quite go so far as to capitulate to say global warming is happening, so they just won't say anything about the topic. As I wrote last week, at least this way there will be fewer people on TV advocating a position contradicted by all the facts.

 

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