Murdoch Sky bid is ‘serious threat to our democracy’ – The Guardian
Critics of Rupert Murdochs bid say Sky News could become more like rightwing US-based Fox News. Photograph: Joe Castro/AAP
Opponents of Rupert Murdochs bid to take full control of Sky have called for it to be blocked because the moguls family are not fit and proper owners following the phone-hacking scandal.
The same critics have also raised fears that Sky News could become more Foxified, a reference to the rightwing US broadcaster Fox News, which would come under the same roof as the UK channel if the merger went ahead.
On Wednesday, campaigning group 38 Degrees delivered a 300,000-strong petition to Karen Bradley, the culture secretary, demanding the proposed 11.7bn takeover be referred to Ofcom for further investigation.
Giving even more control over our media to one man is a serious threat to our democracy, said Maggie Chao, campaigner at 38 Degrees. Rupert Murdoch is not fit and proper to take even more control over the news we read and watch.
Bradley, who has set a deadline of Wednesday for submissions from 21st Century Fox and opponents of the deal to make their case, has said she is minded to call on Ofcom to assess potential media plurality issues and concerns about whether Fox is committed to the required editorial standards, such as accuracy and impartial news coverage.
38 Degrees has been joined by online activist group Avaaz and watchdog Media Matters in ramping up pressure on Bradley.
Avaaz, in conjunction with the Media Reform Coalition, has already made a submission arguing that the bid should be rejected on media concentration grounds because the overall market shares of both Murdoch-owned newspapers the Sun and the Times as well as Sky remain materially unchanged since the last bid in 2011.
Avaaz has now also submitted a lengthy document, in conjunction with Media Matters, cataloguing a wide range of examples of Murdoch exerting influence over the output of media that he own in the US and the UK.
In September, Media Matters called for an investigation into rightwing news network Fox News after allegations that the cable channel hired a private investigator to obtain the phone records of its reporter, Joe Strupp.
Rival broadcasters are also expected to lodge complaints in the UK and Europe the European commission is also examining the deal after expressing concerns that a Fox/Sky combination will dominate bidding for top-flight sport, TV shows and movies.
Foxs submission argues that six years after the aborted 2011 bid, which Murdoch abandoned due to the phone-hacking scandal at his UK newspapers, the media landscape has changed beyond recognition with the rise of digital rivals such as Google and Facebook and news distributors and new outlets such as Vice, Buzzfeed and Huffington Post while traditional newspaper sales decline.
We are confident that the transaction is in the public interest and will stand all tests, said Fox, in a letter from Jeffrey Palker, the companys deputy general counsel, submitted to the DCMS on Wednesday.
In a carefully timed charm offensive at a conference last week which included Sharon White, the chief executive of Ofcom, James Murdoch argued that we are in an era of ultimate plurality, where choices, sources, and access are multiplied, even from where we were only five years ago.
Murdoch, who has insisted that he will not have to offer to spin-off Sky News as he offered in 2010 to quell plurality concerns, has pledged to keep Fox News at arms length and continue to broadcast news under the Sky brand maintaining its excellent record of compliance with the Ofcom broadcasting code.
Ofcom has the right at any time to order a fit and proper investigation into Murdoch, earlier this week shadow culture secretary Tom Watson urged the regulator to conduct the test in a debate in the House of Commons.
An Ofcom investigation found in 2012 that Sky remained a fit and proper owner of a broadcast licence, but published a scathing assessment of James Murdoch then chairman of Sky and head of the UK newspaper business finding that his conduct repeatedly fell short of the standards expected.
[Fox] takes compliance matters extremely seriously and is proud of the transformation of its corporate governance and of the arrangements it has put in place since [the phone hacking scandal], said Palker. In fact, the level of scrutiny and controls we have imposed around the world were informed by the lessons learned in 2011. [Fox] is confident any analysis Ofcom may be requested to undertake will confirm this.
Ofcom has had a chance to air any concerns about Murdoch and investigate his role when news broke last January that he would be returning as Sky chairman and, significantly, after the highly publicised revolt at the Skys annual meeting when more than 50% of independent shareholders voted against his re-appointment.
Fox supporters argue that given Ofcom has previously considered Foxs 39% stake in Sky to be the same as controlling the pay-TV company such as when it told Sky to sell down its stake in ITV in 2010 it is hard to justify the move to 100% control now as triggering a fit and proper test of Murdoch if his return as chairman was unchallenged.
Fox also argues that since the aborted bid News Corp has split into two different companies comprised of its newspaper assets in one, and its TV and film assets in the other, with independent boards.
The separation of [Fox] from News Corporation is a significant consideration and a material change from analysis carried out by Ofcom when News Corporation sought to acquire the remaining shares in [Sky] in 2010, said Palker.
However, opponents argue that the Murdoch family will still be the ultimate owner of both newspaper and TV assets in the UK and that will give them to much control over UK news media.
Conspicuous by their absence are submissions from the unlikely alliance of media companies that banded together during the last bid to oppose Murdoch, which included the BBC, BT, Channel 4 and the publishers of the Guardian, Telegraph and Mirror. At this stage none are thought to have made a submission to the DCMS, although this could change assuming the deal is referred to Ofcom.
Part of Avaazs submission includes a legal view from George Peretz, who has recently represented campaigners mounting a legal challenge to Brexit, arguing that Bradley should add the fit and proper test to the Enterprise Act 2002 alongside the existing public interest criteria.
Separately, David Puttnam has introduced an amendment to the digital economy bill, which would subject all media takeovers to the fit-and-proper test and which is expected to be debated in the House of Lords.
This comes after a group of cross-party politicians including Ed Miliband demanded that the regulator launched an immediate review of whether James Murdoch met such a test to hold a UK broadcasting licence.
Bradley, who has said she has not yet committed to issuing a public intervention notice to refer the deal to Ofcom, will make her final decision next week.
Murdochs attempt to grow his media empire in Britain is against the public interest, said Alex Wilks, campaign director at Avaaz. Karen Bradley needs to ensure they are subject to maximum scrutiny as she decides whether to hand them more control.
Former culture secretary John Whittingdale advised his successor to refer the Sky takeover bid to media regulator Ofcom. Asked why, at a media industry conference in Oxford, he said because there would be a huge political row if I didnt.
Whittingdale, who has made no secret of his support for Murdochs ownership of the media company, indicated he did not believe the bid by Fox should be blocked. If anything, he said, the media industry had become more competitive with the prominence of social media groups such as Facebook or Google, which lessened the dominance of the Murdoch-owned media.
In a statement, 21st Century Fox said it did not believe the deal would result in insufficient plurality in the UK media. 21CF welcomes a thorough and thoughtful regulatory review. We believe this transaction is in the interest of the UK, its creative economy and its consumers, it said. For the past 30 years, 21CF and Sky have been broadcasters of good standing in the UK, a responsibility we take seriously.
The UK has a thriving creative and media sector that is becoming increasingly more plural and we are confident that this transaction would not result in there being insufficient plurality in the UK. We will continue to work with all relevant regulatory authorities in assisting their reviews.
Go here to read the rest:
Murdoch Sky bid is 'serious threat to our democracy' - The Guardian
- PBS and NPR are generally unbiased, independent of government propaganda and provide key benefits to US democracy - The Conversation - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- The Guardian view on votes at 16: democracy belongs to the young too | Editorial - The Guardian - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Terms of Engagement Democracy: The Worst Form of Government Except All the Rest? - Ash Center - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Democracy Vouchers are serving Chinatown-ID; lets renew them - International Examiner - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- New York Citys Ranked Choice Voting: Democracy Thats Accountable to Voters - The Fulcrum - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Opinion | In Georgia, the EUs commitment to democracy is being tested and it may be failing - OC Media - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Democrats Endorse Omar Fateh to Be Next Mayor of Minneapolis - Democracy Now! - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Former EPA Official on Trump Gutting Science Research Office: People Are Not Going to Be Protected - Democracy Now! - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Democracy is pissed and shes raining - Illinois Times - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- OPINION Assault on literacy: Banned books and the destruction of our democracy - Windy City Times - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- How Western democracy died Real change is an illusion - UnHerd - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- The EUs strategic compromises are blinding it to the ongoing fight for democracy in Serbia - ceps.eu - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Democracy in Crisis as Half of Young People Fail to Register to Vote - Byline Times - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Experts Issue Stark New Warning About Nuclear Weapons, 80 Years After Trinity Test - Democracy Now! - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Two Ultra-Orthodox Parties Leave Netanyahus Government Coalition - Democracy Now! - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- The Next Phase in Destroying Israeli Democracy Begins: Ousting the Attorney General - Haaretz - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- The Pollster Who Sensed Democracy Was Faltering - The Atlantic - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Whatever Evers decides, Wisconsin is heading into a high-stakes battle for democracy - Wisconsin Examiner - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Automatic voter registration: a huge step forward for democracy and a chance to bring missing millions into elections - The Conversation - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Opinion | We Need Human Connection to Heal Democracy and Build Shared Prosperity - Common Dreams - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- All the States Where DOJ is Demanding Voting Data - Democracy Docket - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- News - Updating the Arsenal of Democracy: Allies Embrace Co-Production Model - DVIDS - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- A half year of devastation: Trumps first six months shakes American democracy - New York Daily News - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Emerging right-wing politics a threat to democracy - New Age BD - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- This Week in Democracy Week 26: Soft on Child Abuse, Tough on Public Broadcasting - Zeteo - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Opinion | Defunding Public Media Makes Perfect Sense If Destroying Democracy Is the Goal - Common Dreams - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- From military coups to elections: where is African democracy heading? - africanews.com - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Democracy Is Dying But Hey Nice Fireworks Funny 4th Of July T Shirt - roarmag.org - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Noto Democracy and the slow work of civic change - The Japan Times - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- "Good Trouble Lives On" in Whittier California! Honoring the late US Representative John Lewis, the Community Rallied for Democracy and... - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Britain will lower its voting age to 16 in a bid to strengthen democracy - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Lowering the voting age: a boost for UK democracy or a shot in the dark? - The Guardian - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- From Voices to Visions: Reflections on Climate Democracy in Practice - International IDEA - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Imagining The Path Forward for The Healthy Democracy Ecosystem - The Fulcrum - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Republicans Advance Trump Judicial Nominee Said to Have Urged Court Defiance - Democracy Docket - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- An Urgent Warning from Texas: A Conversation on Defending Democracy and Fighting Authoritarianism in the States - Center for American Progress - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- How we Treat [Immigrants] will Shape the Future of Our Democracy and Our Moral Character - The Birmingham Times - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Britain will lower its voting age to 16 in a bid to strengthen democracy - AP News - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Democracy is not theirs to dismantle. More than 120 people turn out for 'Good Trouble' protest - GazetteXtra - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Dems to Fight Texas Illegal, Unconstitutional and Egregious Effort to Rig the Elections - Democracy Docket - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Senate Advances Bill to Claw Back $9 Billion in Funds for Foreign Aid and Public Broadcasting - Democracy Now! - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Video Britain to lower voting age to 16 in a bid to strengthen democracy - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Protecting democracy from big money: Why the UK's new elections strategy doesn't go far enough - Transparency International UK - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Election Officials Have Been Under Attack For Years. Now The DOJ Wants to Criminally Charge Them - Democracy Docket - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Pentagon to Withdraw Half of 4,000 National Guard Troops Deployed to Los Angeles - Democracy Now! - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Antithesis of democracy: Protesters gather for Good Trouble rally in Raleigh - Raleigh News & Observer - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- U.N. Rapporteur Urges Nations to Cut Ties to Israel to Stop Genocide in Gaza - Democracy Now! - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Texas Used DOJs Concerns to Justify Redistricting. Now It Says Theyre Off Base. - Democracy Docket - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Sudan, Remember Us Trailer: Watermelon Pictures Sets August Release For Doc Paying Tribute To Youthful Pro-Democracy Activism - Deadline - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Public Space Is the Infrastructure of Democracy. Its Time to Protect Our Right to Gather. - Next City - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- The U.S. Government Just Slapped The World's Largest Democracy With A Travel Advisory - TheTravel - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- History, Historians, and Democracy in the Age of Trump - Civil War Memory - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- UK to lower voting age to 16 a once-in a-generation opportunity to secure the future health of British democracy - The Conversation - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Britain will lower its voting age to 16 in a bid to strengthen democracy - MSN - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Equatorial Guinea: FAJ applauds journalists role in advancing democracy and justice at the Citizens Forum - International Federation of Journalists -... - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Britain will lower its voting age to 16 in a bid to strengthen democracy - Aurora Sentinel - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Book review: Christianity and Democracy Today: International perspectives, edited by David P. Gushee and Paul Silas Peterson - The Church Times - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- This Is the Most Inspiring Thing Ive Heard About Democracy at the Supreme Court in Ages - Slate Magazine - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Opinion | Trump Is Winning the Battle to Undermine Democracy - The New York Times - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Liberals claimed Trump would end democracy. They were wrong again. | Opinion - USA Today - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Daily Briefing July 15: Day 648 Dramatic day at Knesset leaves democracy intact for now - The Times of Israel - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Who is leading and lagging on democracy and reforms in the EUs Eastern Partnership? - New Eastern Europe - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Understanding the evolution and state of democracy in Zimbabwe: When a coup is not called a coup - Brookings - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- 'Misogyny Is a System': Julie Suk Wants to Reimagine U.S. Institutionsand Build a Democracy of Equality - Ms. Magazine - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- State Departments Restructuring and Proposed Budget Cuts Roll Back U.S. Role in Democracy and Human Rights Globally; Congress Has a Chance to Fix This... - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Court Delays Termination of TPS for 12,000 Afghans as Both Sides Asked to Submit Arguments - Democracy Now! - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Get Maine on the train for democracy before its too late | Opinion - The Portland Press Herald - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- We are ready to lead our country toward democracy and a European path - - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Mandelblit believes Israel heading toward end of democracy - The Times of Israel - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Jurists refer to the obstacle in front of peace, democracy in Turkey - - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Hundreds attend pro-democracy rally in Oceanside - Times of San Diego - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- The GOP Is Working Overtime to Take the People Out of Democracy - WhoWhatWhy - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Freedom to Choose?: Peter Beinart Slams Trump-Netanyahu Plan for Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza - Democracy Now! - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Evers refusal to fight and the fate of democracy - Wisconsin Examiner - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- What Exactly Is Required to Preserve Our Democracy? - The Atlantic - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Departments Anti-Voting Shift - Democracy Docket - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Apocalypse in the Tropics is the democracy documentary Trump doesnt want you to see - San Francisco Chronicle - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Depression due to politics? The quiet danger to democracy - University of California - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Theme Panel: Author Meets Critics: Depolarizing Politics and Saving Democracy by Jennifer McCoy and Murat Somer - Political Science Now - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Democracy report card: Experts weigh in on where the US stands - KPBS - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]