Outfoxed vs. Rupert Murdoch: Seven Years On

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Robert Greenwald

Robert Greenwald is a producer, director, political activist, and Brave New Films founder and president.

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August 3rd, 2011 3:48 PM

Outfoxed vs. Rupert Murdoch: Seven Years On

Seven years ago, Outfoxed exposed Rupert Murdoch's top down journalism at FOX News, and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public's right to know.

In the wake of Murdoch's NewsCorp scandal, and as we witness the widening impact of corporate dominance on media practices, it is even clearer that we need to continue the discussion around how we can restore integrity in journalism.

What has changed over these seven years?

The story keeps unraveling before our eyes, and yet no true accountability has caused the Murdochs to change their behavior. One of the latest pieces of news in this story is that 11 people have now been arrested in the News of the World hacking scandal, yet both James and Rupert stand to receive several million dollars in bonuses, supposedly due to their job performance. We've also recently learned that BSkyB is keeping James Murdoch on their board. At this point, it seems as if the Murdochs are getting away with their criminal and unethical behavior with barely even a slap on the wrist.

If the level of corruption involved in this scandal doesn't bring about serious conversation and a push for a change in how things work, there might be no hope for fighting the evil that comes from such corporate conglomerate control. That is why Brave New Films has decided to celebrate the anniversary of Outfoxed by holding an event with some of the smartest minds in our country.

I invite you to join a live and online discussion that will take place Tuesday, August 9th at 5 pm PST/8 pm PST at bravenewfilms.org/outfoxed.

This one-hour anniversary event will feature clips from Outfoxed and Fox Attacks, along with commentary from such notable media and public figures as Cenk Uygur (The Young Turks; former MSNBC host), Janeane Garofalo (Actor/Comedian), Katrina vanden Heuvel (The Nation), James Rucker (ColorofChange.org) and Ilyse Hogue (Media Matters). I will also use the opportunity to answer live and previously submitted questions from the audience. (I encourage you to send your questions in advance.)

Outfoxed heeded numerous warning signs on the dangers of ethic-less journalism. Seven years later, the world is witnessing what happens when corporate conglomerate power runs unregulated and lacks the checks and balances required for there to be any accountability. As a company, NewsCorp, with FOX often leading the way, has led an imaginary war in which it sees itself as "against the world."

Over the last year, Brave New Foundation has continued to expose the corruption that comes from consolidated power that runs unchecked. Our Koch Brothers Exposed campaign has revealed how the wealth and political power of the Koch brothers echoes some of the lessons we've learned from Outfoxed. When conglomerate profit increases and is allowed to drive any agenda unchecked, the health of our democracy and our journalistic institutions pays the price.

The current Murdoch investigation continues to unveil the criminality, corruption, distortion and overall unethical behavior woven through the NewsCorp fabric. And yet, over these last seven years, not much seems to change about the level of accountability to which we hold the Murdochs' actions. This coming Tuesday we will discuss what this accountability should look like, and what can be done to stop this pattern of corruption from spreading.

For additional details about the event, or to submit a question in advance, visit: bravenewfilms.org/outfoxed/

I look forward to having you join the conversation.