Rupert Murdoch may be on the verge of purchasing Dow Jones & Company, but that didn’t stop “Good Morning America” from getting in a few parting shots.
ABC correspondent Bianna Golodryga cited fears that the Wall Street Journal would begin to resemble the New York Post, already owned by Murdoch.
“Here is why this story is important,” said Golodryga. “This is the paper he wants to buy: The Wall Street Journal. Now, one big news story, a business story that came out a few weeks ago, was the sale of Hilton Hotels. What people are afraid is that this—the New York Post is going to be telling the story, a picture of Paris Hilton.”
Golodryga’s segment “Titan at the Top: Is Murdoch Taking over the World?” was aired on July 18. In it, she quoted Ken Auletta, a harsh critic of a Murdoch purchase of Dow Jones.
“His editorial views, his political views, his commercial interests, bleed into the way stories are covered or not covered,” said Ken Auletta, media critic for the elite liberal magazine, The New Yorker. “And that’s the great nightmare the people at the Journal have.”
But ABC didn’t give viewers any indication of the depths of Auletta’s distain for Murdoch. He wrote a 7,400-word article in the July 2 issue of The New Yorker that was highly critical of Murdoch and his past business practices.
“Whatever his commercial successes, he has never produced a great newspaper, and he seems to value even a trophy property like the Times of London less for its prestige than for its influence – its power to help sway elections, to promote his political ideas, and to protect his corporate interests,” wrote Auletta.
But the ABC anchors were also on the attack. In Golodryga’s report, she implied that Murdoch has everything a “titan” could want:
“Private yacht and 737. Check. Powerful friend and enemies. Check. Much younger gorgeous wife. Check again,” said Golodryga.
But at the end of the segment, co-anchor Diane Sawyer said sarcastically, “You think he has everything? I'll bet the day after tomorrow there is something new he wants.”
“Check!” replied co-anchor Robin Roberts.
The GMA report was just one of several stories recently that have disparaged the potential Murdoch acquisition of Dow Jones.
