And anyway In the free market there is, naturally, a place for a large successful, unbiased, accurate private news channel.
This is perhaps already filled by Sky, and it is successful enough for Rupert Murdoch to know that tampering with the formula would be a bad Idea.
If he wants to set up a Fox UK as well though that's nobody's business.
(888777555, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:42, 4 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

"Rupert"
Are you and he old school chums? Was he your head of house? Did he bugger you senseless after a jolly afternoon's polo practice?
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:44, Reply)

I can't say I ever shared your experiences in education mate.
Proud Grammar school boy and all that.
(888777555, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:46, Reply)

That's your fantasy Darth,
we are bullying Free Fair.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:46, Reply)

I expected exactly this response from him
I have come to anticipate greater imagination from your good self. Please insult me in a more creative way to redress the balance.
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:48, Reply)

No.

( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:52, Reply)

Appreciate it.

(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:58, Reply)

Sky news is a massive loss maker
and the idea for the BSkyB bid was to spin it off.
A fox news UK channel would be plenty of peoples buisiness, the competition commission, Ofcom, BSkyB's board, all NewsCorps shareholders... Do you know what you're talking about?
(PsychoChomp, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:45, Reply)

BSkyB and NewsCorps business,yes.
Ofcom should not dictate editorial policy beyond enforcing the watershed, it can but it shouldn't IMO.
And when will the competition commission start to give a crap about the BBCs monumental hold over media in the UK. AFAIC it hasn't the moral right to touch the private sector until it has downsized the public one to its most effective and efficient size.
(888777555, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:59, Reply)

How can Sky news be unbiased?
Perhaps you should compare the coverage of the reports tonight about Rupert and his cronies.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:45, Reply)

Sky News hasn't held back at all, it would be unfair to call their coverage biased.

(PsychoChomp, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:48, Reply)

I will apologise then, I don't watch Sky.
Unless there is no other channel available
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:50, Reply)

I think to tell you the truth there's a few people working for sky news that didn't want the BskyB deal to go through.

(PsychoChomp, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:50, Reply)

I wonder what will be said if it becomes clear that Murdoch sanctioned hacking.

( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:55, Reply)

he's too far up the chain surely?

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:07, Reply)

What was that sign that Roosevelt had on his desk?
The buck stops here.

He has to take ultimate responsibility whether he 'knew' what was going on or not. That's his job.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:09, Reply)

he was president though.
it depends on whether they can prove a level of autonomy between people like Brooks as editor, and Murdoch as ultimate head honcho
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:11, Reply)

I'm not absolving her of responsibility
I'm just saying he shouldn't be able to wriggle out of this one.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:16, Reply)

he will though

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:18, Reply)

Agreed
What can they do to him? Fire him from his own company?
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:21, Reply)

Could we fire him from the human race?

( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:22, Reply)

If we can get a big enough power source for my trebuchet, yes

(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:27, Reply)

Is that the same trebuchet that can't even get a bar of chocolate from Norwich to Weston super Mare?

( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:32, Reply)

As it happens the bar of chocolate I found for you is the exact same size and shape as Rupert Murdoch
hence the need for the power source
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:43, Reply)

That much chocolate would be a challenge
but not impossible....
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:49, Reply)

I just need to find some way of generating 1.21 gigawatts of power

(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:50, Reply)

A BOLT OF LIGHTNING!

( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:51, Reply)

He should do the decent thing
and take the Maxwell way out.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:21, Reply)

wasn't there a conspiracy that Mosad were responsible for that one?
*calls Israeli Directory enquiries*
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:23, Reply)

Sorry B3th
That was Harry Truman.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:23, Reply)

Well, it was the same desk.
Does that count?
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:25, Reply)

Yes, yes it does.

( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 11:27, Reply)

The problem is
that in a free market, such as you would like to see, one will often see one hugely successful and rich man/company becoming an effective monopoly, as dear Rupert is in danger of doing, left to his own devices. One might argue that he is clearly good at what he does to have done so well, and this may be true, but what he is good at may well be pandering to people's fears and prejudices, rather than providing fair and balanced news. Just because it sells does not make it right, although I suppose you would argue otherwise.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Tue 19 Jul 2011, 10:53, Reply)