Murdoch Media Mayhem

Media Theory Toolbox Blog

Before the recent pandemic of Covid-19, I didn’t actively seek out the news too often, but as of late I have, usually I go to the Australian Broadcasting corporation (ABC) to see the latest updates. The ABC is government owned and funded but is edited independently, they have a reputation of being a mostly unbiased source. There are many other news outlets owned by major companies or media moguls who report bias content that they perceive to be correct without consideration of distributing fair and balanced journalism for the public interest. Because of this reason, if I’m researching a news story or intrigued by something, I will often cross reference with several news outlets to get a better understanding of what had occurred and highlight what may be falsely reported.

It is fair to say all news has bias, although some that are more enforcing of their opinions than others. Media ownership in Australia has a huge influence on what is published and said in the news, Rupert Murdoch is globally one of the biggest media moguls and owner of News Corp, he hires editors with correlating ideologies to his, they then propel misinformed or false information to influence his audience. The ABC highlighted Murdoch’s faults in media ownership, on Media Watch (2020).They exposed how News Corp propelled the denial of climate change as a causation of the recent Australian bushfires to their audience. Supporting this theory with half-truths and ignoring various scientific studies that convey evidence of climate change being directly linked as a cause. By reporting their false version of events News Corp diminishes the severity of climate change as a pressing environmental issue thus encouraging irresponsible behaviour in the public sphere that may lead to more devastating disasters caused by climate change in the future (Lidberg, 2019, p.17).

The development of distortion propelled by media ownership in the public sphere decreases the ability for people to have well-rounded knowledge on when debating issues of public interest. Therefore, stunting possible positive progression in actively resolving issues like climate change.

Media owners will only continue to get louder as new laws regarding Australia media ownership allow for the formation of large media companies while independent media voices are phased out with lack of funding. Since 2014 the government has cut 25% of the ABC’s total budget restricting the reach of their voice throughout Australia (Lidberg, 2019, p. 18). However, the ABC still maintains to be the most trusted news source in Australia, because their reputation proceeds the influence of Murdoch, other large media companies and the government.

Media ownership in Australia is very important. Knowing who controls and owns media is essential in determining whether the news you’re receiving is genuine or bias. While these companies abuse their power to promote a hidden agenda, the public interest is not being fulfilled therefore the public sphere remains distorted. With the new reform media laws, it is a great as time as ever to know who’s behind the headlines, to determine if you’re being fed real or fake news.

Reference List

Lidberg, J., 2019. The distortion of the Australian public sphere: Media ownership concentration in Australia. AQ: Australian Quarterly, 90(1), p. 18. {Accessed 13^th April 2020}

News Corp’s fire fight, Media Watch 2020, television program, Australian Broadcasting Company, Australia, 3 February. [Online]

Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/episodes/news-corp-fire/11925590

{Accessed 13^th April 2020}

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