Category Archives: News Corporation

Johnson met Murdoch on day he signalled general election bid

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News Corp owner was the only media baron the prime minister saw in his first three months

Boris Johnson saw Rupert Murdoch for a “social meeting” on the day he signalled his intention to seek a general election last year, according to new transparency disclosures.

Johnson saw the media billionaire on 2 September, the day when Downing Street briefed that he would be seeking an autumn election if his Brexit plans were thwarted. In the event the election was pushed back to December.

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James Murdoch criticises father’s news outlets for climate crisis denial

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Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Fox cited for ‘frustrating’ coverage of Australian bushfires

Rupert Murdoch’s son has strongly criticised his family’s news outlets for downplaying the impact of the climate crisis, as bushfires continue to burn in Australia.

James Murdoch and his wife, Kathryn, issued a rare joint statement directly criticising his father’s businesses for their “ongoing denial” on the issue, which has been reflected in the family’s newspapers repeatedly casting doubt on the link between the climate emergency and the bushfires.

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Trump faces impeachment as House convenes to debate historic vote – live

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Outcome of today’s vote is all but certain as Trump lashes against Democrats and acknowledges likely impeachment

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Democratic congressman Joe Kennedy used his floor speech to explain to his children why he intended to vote in favor of impeaching the president. “Dear Ellie and James: This is a moment that you’ll read about in your history books,” the Massachusetts lawmaker said.

Dem. Rep. Joe Kennedy addresses his children in remarks on impeachment: "Dear Ellie and James: This is a moment that you'll read about in your history books. Today, I will vote to impeach the president of the United States. And I want you to know why." https://t.co/YXG96ICVqo pic.twitter.com/S3Sd39n5uV

As the president lashes out against Nancy Pelosi, some commentators have started recirculating this 2008 video, in which Trump commends Pelosi and suggests she should have tried to impeach George W. Bush.

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Rupert Murdoch says ‘there are no climate change deniers around’ News Corp

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Murdoch was responding to a question at AGM about time given to ‘climate deniers’ by News Corp outlets in Australia

News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch has said “there are no climate change deniers around I can assure you” after he was asked at the corporation’s AGM why his company gives them “so much airtime” in Australia.

Murdoch was speaking in New York on Wednesday when he received a question from a proxy for Australian activist shareholder Stephen Mayne.

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Mystery of the doctored documents: Angus Taylor and the climate attack on Sydney’s lord mayor

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Exclusive: story published in Daily Telegraph was based on false figures for travel expenditure purporting to be from council’s annual report

Angus Taylor baselessly accused Sydney’s lord mayor of driving up carbon emissions by spending $15m on travel, a claim that was later backed up with a doctored council document provided to the Daily Telegraph, which reported the figure.

On 30 September, the Telegraph reported on page three that the “City of Sydney Council’s outlay on flights outstrips that of Australia’s foreign ministers”.

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Australian newspapers black out front pages to fight back against secrecy laws

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United campaign by media companies highlights government moves to penalise whistleblowing and criminalise journalism

• Lenore Taylor: Concrete action rather than nice words are needed on press freedom

The front page of every newspaper in Australia was blacked out on Monday as part of a campaign against moves by successive federal governments to penalise whistleblowing and, in some cases, criminalise journalism.

The campaign, by the Australia’s Right to Know Coalition, follows raids on the ABC’s Sydney headquarters and the home of a News Corp journalist in June, the legality of which is being challenged in the high court.

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Sydney lord mayor calls snap Pyrmont planning review an ‘astounding betrayal of trust’

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Clover Moore warns NSW planning rules at stake after Berejiklian says suburb is ‘open for business and ready to be taken to the next level’

The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has warned that “the entire credibility of the planning system” in New South Wales is at stake after the premier intervened to order a speedy review of planning controls in Pyrmont, where her own planning department has blocked the development of a 62-storey tower on top of Star casino.

The rejection of the Star proposal for the 237 metre tower, in the historic area zoned for eight storeys to the west of the CBD, has bitterly divided the state government and led to a ferocious campaign by Star, aided by the Daily Telegraph and radio talkback host Alan Jones.

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Greta Thunberg hits back at Andrew Bolt for ‘deeply disturbing’ column

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Campaigner calls out ‘hate and conspiracy campaigns’ after Australian’s attack

The teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has hit back at the Australian News Corp columnist Andrew Bolt for writing a deeply offensive column that mocked her autism diagnosis.

The Swedish schoolgirl posted a tweet overnight calling out the “hate and conspiracy campaigns” run by climate deniers like Bolt, adopting his insult that she was “deeply disturbed” and turning it back on him.

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AFP signals journalists could face charges for publishing secrets

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Acting AFP commissioner denies the government directed the investigations, which have led to raids on the ABC and News Corp this week

The Australian federal police have all but confirmed that ABC and News Corp journalists could be charged for publishing protected information after two dramatic days of raids which prompted outrage and drew international attention to Australia’s draconian secrecy laws.

The acting AFP commissioner, Neil Gaughan, held a press conference on Thursday to contain political fallout, denying suggestions the police had waited until after the federal election to execute warrants and claiming no contact had been made with the executive since they informed home affairs minister Peter Dutton’s office when the investigations started.

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Geoffrey Rush to receive record $2.9m damages in Daily Telegraph defamation case

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Court hears that actor offered to settle for $50,000 and an apology but never heard back from News Corp

Geoffrey Rush will receive $2.9m in damages from the Daily Telegraph after a series of articles accusing the Oscar-winning actor of “inappropriate behaviour” towards a female actor.

On Thursday the federal court heard lawyers for Rush and the Telegraph had agreed the actor would receive $2m for past and future lost earnings after tax, on top of an $850,000 payment ordered by Justice Michael Wigney in his judgment in April.

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Federal election 2019: Older Australians are waiting for Shorten with baseball bats, says Dutton – politics live

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Home affairs minister makes rare appearance on the campaign trail while Tanya Plibersek says Labor is ‘not contemplating a royal commission’ into media monopolies. All the day’s events live

OMG the Sky ticker has actually changed to “Latham calls out political correctness”.

This has made my day.

The Sky ticker currently says “Latham criticises ‘leftist elites’” and truly, it is not just death and taxes we can rely on any more in this crazy world, and I for one am grateful for some sort of consistency. It’s comforting.

It would only be more obvious if the ticker said something like “Latham stands against political correctness”, but I guess we have to save some things for tomorrow.

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Warringah voters complain about free copies of Daily Telegraph as election rancour boils

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Supporters of both Tony Abbott and Zali Steggall accuse the other side of underhand tactics

Residents in the federal seat of Warringah are complaining about telephone push polling, unwanted copies of the Daily Telegraph arriving on their lawns and election posters being defaced.

The most mysterious event in the Sydney seat, where the former prime minister Tony Abbott is fighting a challenge from the independent Zali Steggall, is the arrival of unsolicited copies of the Telegraph, which began in late March.

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Serena Williams cartoon not racist, Australian media watchdog rules

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Herald Sun newspaper’s depiction of player ‘spitting the dummy’ at US Open had been widely condemned

A Herald Sun cartoon that depicted Serena Williams jumping in the air and “spitting the dummy” after losing a match to Naomi Osaka was not racist, the Press Council has found.

The News Corp cartoon came under global condemnation in September last year for publishing what some saw as a racist, sexist cartoon.

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Daily Telegraph’s attempt at humour tanks with Nauru v Auschwitz graphic | Weekly Beast

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Tabloid misses target with tasteless triviality. Plus: ABC and Fairfax HQs get a makeover

The Daily Telegraph gave the paediatrician Paul Bauert a huge slap for likening asylum seekers on Nauru to Jews at Auschwitz – but the tabloid made a rather tasteless comparison itself along the way.

“The main problem these people have is a lack of meaning, a lack of any end to what’s going on, a lack of certainty,” Bauert had said about the asylum seekers on Nauru. “Even those that finally knew they were about to be condemned to the gas chamber at least found some sense of relief in knowing what was happening.” The medico later apologised.

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Trump administration expected to replace Interior watchdog with political appointee

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Even as ethical inquiries into Ryan Zinke's actions as Interior Secretary continue, the Trump administration is expected to nominate a political appointee from another agency to take over as the department's internal watchdog. Democrats and oversight groups say they are concerned a political nominee with no specific experience in oversight could quash investigations into Zinke.

Trump approves FBI expansion of Kavanaugh background check

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President Trump calls for a 'comprehensive' FBI investigation of sexual misconduct claims against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh; insight from Berit Berger, former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. President Trump has instructed White House Counsel Don McGahn to allow the FBI to speak with anyone the bureau deems appropriate in connection with the supplemental background investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a source familiar with the probe told Fox News on Monday.

Democrats find their answer to the Koch brothers

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White House limits scope of the FBI's investigation into the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh - The FBI has not been permitted to investigate the claims of Julie Swetnick, a White House official confirmed to NBC News. - WASHINGTON - The White House is limiting the scope Trump: No limits on FBI's investigation into allegations against Brett Kavanaugh - The FBI has not been permitted to investigate the claims of Julie Swetnick, a White House official confirmed to NBC News.

With newfound aggressiveness, GOP ramps up Kavanaugh fight

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Brett Kavanaugh says he won't let "false accusations drive me out of this process" as he, President Donald Trump and top Republicans mount an aggressive drive to rally the public and GOP senators behind his shaky Supreme Court nomination. Trump and Republican leaders accused Democrats on Monday of a smear campaign by using accusations by two women of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh in the 1980s to try scuttling his Senate confirmation.

Illegal aliens give 20 congressional seats to blue states

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Rep. Mo Brooks said in a radio interview that counting of illegal aliens when establishing congressional seats and electoral college votes violates the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The state of Alabama has joined with Brooks to sue the federal government for its counting of illegal aliens, rather than only American citizens, in congressional district apportionment and votes for the Electoral College.