I was wondering who, if anyone, the New York Post would fire as a result of its historic screw-up regarding the alleged Kerry-Gephardt ticket. It turns out, the Post knows exactly who’s responsible, but his job is perfectly secure. After all, he owns the paper.
When The New York Post tore up its front page on Monday night to trumpet an apparent exclusive that Representative Richard A. Gephardt would be Senator John Kerry’s running mate, the newspaper based its decision on a very high-ranking source: Rupert Murdoch, the man who controls the company that owns The Post, an employee said yesterday.
The Post employee demanded anonymity, saying senior editors had warned that those who discussed the Gephardt gaffe with other news organizations would lose their jobs.
Mr. Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive of the News Corporation, called his tip in to the Post’s news desk just after 10 on Monday night, between the first and second editions, the employee said.
The employee said that Mike Hechtman, an editor on the city desk, then rewrote the paper’s article on Mr. Kerry’s choice, which originally said only that it would be announced Tuesday morning. The article was rewritten on a tight deadline to say unequivocally that the running mate would be Mr. Gephardt. The article carried no byline and cited no source, saying only, “The Post has learned.”
I should note, for those who’ve forgotten, that Murdoch also owns that other paragon of journalistic integrity, the Fox News Channel.
Oh, and before I forget, another part of Murdoch’s dubious empire is also lending Nader a hand.
Another good question Dean might ask Nader, critic of corporate-controlled Washington and foe of rampant media consolidation, is why Nader’s new book, which arrived in stores this week and kicks off his presidential campaign, is being published by Rupert Murdoch. Chairman of the expansive conglomerate News Corp., the conservative Murdoch has been a chief advocate for more than two decades of extensive media deregulation. And his HarperCollins is not only publishing Nader’s “The Good Fight: Declare Your Independence and Close the Democracy Gap” but providing the candidate with expensive public relations promotion and media bookings.
“Is this a coincidence, or a backhanded way of helping Nader out?” asks Chellie Pingree, president of Common Cause.
“I just think it’s kind of hypocritical,” says Tricia Enright, a former Dean aide who now runs TheNaderFactor.com. “Isn’t Rupert Murdoch just the kind of corporate megalomaniac Ralph Nader despises?”