RightWingDeathBogan

Murdoch has been told.

I was giving JihadWatch my usual once over before getting stuck into the gardening, when the post about Rupert Murdoch being told what to show on the news crawler at the bottom of the screen jumped out at me.

Basically, we have someone from the other side of the world telling Mr Murdoch how he should be presenting news.

So much for freedom of speech.

So much for unbiased reportage. (Okay, I know that these days that's a major oxymoron, but can't these guys even pretend to be neutral?)

As a result of the offense I've taken, I have written to FOXNews about Mr Al-Walid.

Why bother with the so-called news services if they have no room to actually report on what is happening? Not unless it is sanitised and inoffensive, of course. We can't upset the sensibilities of those people who get offended very easily. And I don't just refer to a certain religion. This is a general generalisation, and included in that description are those feminists, greenies, fascists, and some of the more foaming moonbats and deathbeasts.

A clear, concise, presentation of the facts is all that's needed. People presumably have the werewithal to assimilate the information without having an opinion thrust upon them.

In Paris and other parts of France, the rioters were muslim. Nobody can deny the fact (although many wanted to).

Those reporting alluded to the idea of members of a certain religion being rioters, but most described the perpetrators as 'disaffected youths', 'north-African immigrants', and 'disadvantaged members of society'.

But I digress - other forums have addressed those descriptors in much more detail, and a quick google on 'french riots' will net you plenty of good stuff.

Back on track now, I've emailed my letter of complaint to FOX, and have a copy of it here for posterity.

As ever, any response or lack thereof will be noted here.

Dear FOXNews,

Please forgive the general salutation, but I'm not aware of who in particular this message should be addressed to.

I read today of a comment by a Fox shareholder about influencing news reportage and coverage. This is a disconcerting situation, because Fox prides itself on being "Fair and Balanced."

The particular comment was reported at Middle East Online and states:

Al-Walid also criticised US media which he described as "in general ... pro-Israel." But he also accused Arabs of not being pro-active in fighting the allegedly slanted media.


He said that during last month's street protests in France, the US television network Fox -- owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in which Al-Walid himself has shares -- ran a banner saying: "Muslim riots."


"I picked up the phone and called Murdoch... (and told him) these are not Muslim riots, these are riots out of poverty," he said.


"Within 30 minutes, the title was changed from Muslim riots to civil riots."

The implication that a foreign citizen can tell an American icon such as the Fox Corporation how it should be presenting news is offensive and damaging for your credibility.

With respect to the rioting in France, they were perpetrated by Muslim youths. Perhaps they started out as an expression of discontent, but three weeks of burning cars and destroying other property indicates that there is much more going on under the surface.

When did the opinion of a shareholder become more important than your reputation for providing up-to-date, unbiased news?

Is it a case now that when your banner states "We Report. You Decide." it's a shorthand for "We Report What Will Keep Our Stockholders Happy. You Decide if it's Fair and Balanced."? It is starting to appear that way.

What little faith I have in the major news services in this 21st century is dwindling rapidly, especially when there is so much of concern occurring around the world today.

I would appreciate it if someone could respond to my concerns - I may only be one person, but I am not the only one who is upset by comments such as Mr. Al-Walid's.

Please also note, that as a matter of general practice, I will be posting a copy of this letter and any subsequent reply from you on my small blog.

Thank you so much for your time,

Yours sincerely,

nilknarf

http://rightwingdeathbogan.blogspot.com

posted by Nilk @ 1:07 PM