In another example of the conflict when a news organization has to address an issue of its parent company, Steve Doocy of Fox and Friends did a segment and talked to Bob Dilenschneider, who basically said, we need to focus on solving hacking instead of piling on NewsCorp.  Steve agreed saying “We’ve got some serious problems in this country … and what do they do?” he said. “They talk about this.”  Mr. Dilenschneider also made Newscorp seem like the victim in implying that NewsCorp was the VICTIM of hacking (like he says Citibank and American Express who were hacked and had data stolen from them) instead of what most say what happened here which is Newscorp’s operatives did the hacking into the private phone lines of celebrities, political officials, a dead girl and now possibly 9/11 victims. Oh and they paid off cops to give them information.

A little different, don’t you think?

 

 

I also like the way, Doocy doesn’t do the standard news disclaimer acknowledging a possible conflict on interest by pointing out NewsCorp is the parent company of Fox News and Rupert Murdoch, the man at the heart of the scandal, is his boss.  In fact, the only mention of Rupert Murdoch in the segment is by Dilenschneider, who tosses off a mention about “Murdoch” with a tone that implies he vaguely apart of the story. Like as if to say “oh, yea, that guy.”

This whole segment feels to me more a press release or suppressing fire for NewsCorp than a news segment. Using the Fox News opinion media shows like Fox and Friends to throw out a segment that vaguely addresses the hacking scandal. Trying to tamp it down more than give viewers insight.  And because it’s coming through Fox’s opinion media (and not its news people),it gives the host enough room to make a feeble attempt to convince anyone who doesn’t know the story that this is no big deal.  Turn away. Nothing to see here.

This is an egregious case of parent company/news organization conflict. But still indicative of the issues NBC had to deal with its parent company GE over toxic waste sites. Or the issues that ABC has when its parent Disney gets bad press.  It’s hard to take on or have a candid discussion about someone who can fire you.