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Rupert Murdoch’s obituary
When (or perhaps if) Rupert Murdoch goes to the great MySpace in the sky, the obituary writers will be able to save themselves some time if they dig out Kingsley Martin’s assessment of British newspaper tycoon Lord Northcliffe. Northcliffe: was his own most appreciative reader; he instinctively appealed in the most profitable way to the…
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Dept. of Life imitating Art
Guardianista Tim Dowling has a novel out about a nearly-40 journo (life issues etc. etc.) who discovers an online community dedicated to ridiculing him. It’s being serialized here. Well, guess what? Nearly-40 BBC reporter Ben Ando is living Dowling’s novel nightmare. His voiceover on five‘s version of the FBI Files has attracted a mocking student…
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The Wall Street Journal should read its own history
An owner “most properly, considers his newspaper as a plain business proposition.” WSJ, 1925Anyone considering the absurd talk of editorial strictures being put around the Wall Street Journal prior to its possible purchase by Rupert Murdoch might want to look into the Journal’s own archives. Back in January 1925 it published an op-ed titled, “A…
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BBC World News Today
I have a piece at the Guardian today reviewing the Beeb’s revamp of its international newscast, The World – now World News Today (World News Tonight already belonging to ABC). Basically, the UK scheduling puts this up against Britain’s equivalent of NewsHour, and that’s got people asking why the BBC is duplicating something already offered…