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Ear to the Ground

Google Takes Objection to Murdoch’s Tweets

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Posted on Jan 16, 2012
Twitter

Rupert Murdoch is a surprisingly good tweeter, direct and revealing in his comments, but he is also the head of a media conglomerate, so when he loses his cool and fires off a shot at “[p]iracy leader” Google, it has reverberations beyond the nail salon.

Murdoch’s anti-piracy campaign is heating up because the Stop Online Piracy Act appears stalled in the capital. This, no doubt, because there are giant technology companies lobbying against the giant media companies who want the power to shut down websites that they perceive as pirate enablers.

Google responded by calling Murdoch’s tweets “nonsense.”

Other tech firms concerned about legislation that might threaten the free and open Internet are planning to make their voices heard without the help of lobbyists. Wikipedia and Reddit have joined a group of sites planning to go dark Jan. 18.

Murdoch softened his stance by tweeting that Google is a “great company doing many exciting things.” But he later said he rested his case after searching for and discovering links to download “Mission Impossible.”  —PZS

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By SteveL, January 18 at 10:38 pm Link to this comment

Take his citizenship away (Reagan gave it to him anyway).  The throw the A-hole
out of the country.  He won’t be missed.

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By msgmi, January 18 at 9:41 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Rupert’s Soviet-style media blitzes have no boundaries and serve the 30% of delusional ideologues.

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By Inherit The Wind, January 18 at 4:54 am Link to this comment

If Murdoch is in favor of SOPA and PIPA, that’s a VERY good reason to oppose it.

Notice that all the record and movie companies want it. The music biz has long exploited the actual creative people—the composers and performers.  How many Sly Stones end up homeless while the record company is STILL getting royalties?

So…the Internet was a GLORIOUS opportunity for musicians to by-pass the predators at the record companies—even Sir Elton John came out years ago against them and for the musicians.  Naturally, SOPA and PIPA will shut it down and return musicians to the feudal serfdom the music biz wants.

NOTHING in SOPA will stop the pirates in Russia and China.  It’s all just a straw man to protect the entertainment industry from competition from that ACTUAL creative artists—and if you look at the donations made to every Senator and Congressman, you’ll see that the entertainment dollars are 5 to 10 times greater per representative than Internet company donations….and Congresscritters vote for who gives ‘em the most.

“An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought.”
    Simon Cameron (1799-1889)

“In the good old days, an honest politician was one who lied only when he had to. But now lies are becoming the accepted language of government at the highest levels, the theory being that sooner or later the people of the country will become so confused and disillusioned that they will just mind their own business, and leave governing to well-placed liars.”
    Richard Reeves

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By artofthefirstpeople, January 17 at 7:29 pm Link to this comment

As an Australian, I take GREAT EXCEPTION to Murdock and his Evil Empire!

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By Blueokie, January 17 at 12:54 pm Link to this comment

What other evidence that SOPA is a phenomenally bad idea is needed outside the endorsement of this sociopathic ogre?

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they call me the working man's avatar

By they call me the working man, January 17 at 7:41 am Link to this comment

Pretty ballsy to open a twitter account right after a hacking scandal. Any guesses to what his pwrd might be? I’m thinking, considering the typical intellect of his type, that it’s probably in the top handful of most common ones.

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By IMax, January 17 at 4:52 am Link to this comment

Lafayette,

At a time when independent television and radio stations are precipitously waning, in a day when a small handful of large media conglomerates control the nations airwaves and newspapers, how do you figure Murdock to be the last of the media barons?

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By Lafayette, January 16 at 11:43 pm Link to this comment

Who cares what this deranged and embittered old man says, writes or intimates.

In his entire career, he has demonstrated that money corrupts and absolute money corrupts absolutely.

He’s the last of the Media Barons and good riddance.

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By shocked-and-dismayed, January 16 at 7:22 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Rupert Murdoch just admitted to pirating Mission Impossible?? What is this world coming to?

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By ocjim, January 16 at 6:12 pm Link to this comment

I take exception to Murdock and all his corruption.

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By vajoiner, January 16 at 5:16 pm Link to this comment

i just searched bing, yahoo and aol. i found mission impossible on all of them, dumbass. go back to bed.

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A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
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