Politicians fear Murdoch’s power

As the phone-hacking scandal surrounding Rupert Murdoch’s empire continues to unfold, many forget that the real danger of his empire lies in the tremendous influence it has over politics in the UK and the US. Politicians both fear and depend on it.

The real danger of Rupert Murdoch is the tremendous political power he has in the UK and in the US, the power wielded through the news organization that he owns, and the resulting fear harbored by politicians, says author and journalist Barry Lando.“That fear has temporarily gone away, but that fear can always come back because his power is still there.”Murdoch has used his influence to build an enormous empire, not only in Britain, but in the United States and Australia, Lando points out.“Americans are only beginning to look at that now”, he says, underlining that Murdoch has gained a lot of influence through his media presence in the United States.Lando believes the nature of this power needs to be looked at, particularly with regard to its links with politicians.“We should be looking at the links between Murdoch and the politicians and between his news organizations and major politicians, not just in England but in the US as well.”Journalist and author Roland Michel Tremblay also says that Murdoch has gained too much political power.Politicians depend on the media to get elected to office, he observes. “Politicians have got to be friends with the press. And they certainly were with News International and News of the World,” he says.“It was difficult for them to actually get out of this friendship or to break this friendship from fears they might not win in the next elections.”“At the moment it has gone too far, the public opinion is totally against this being hushed up any longer”, Tremblay adds.