So Murdoch Owns the Media...Tell Me Something I Don't Know

Yesterday Rupert Murdoch, owner of the Fox Conglomerate, bought Dow Jones Co. whose holdings include the Wall Street Journal. This of course has several Left-wing pundits up in arms.

Cut it out.

Sure, Murdoch's FOX News has taken journalism to new heights of biased reporting, becoming nearly a de facto propaganda machine for the Right, while simultaneously bringing 'entertainment journalism' into the commercial realm. But this is nothing new, and the term 'Yellow Journalism' originates with Media Mogul William Randolph Hurst at the turn of the 20th Century. False and equivocal reporting has plagued the public since the conception of the newspaper, for as long as people hold opinions they will hold biases.

But the reins of Journalism cannot be held by one person no matter how hard they grasp them, because the news is reported simply by people, and as we know some people are more trustworthy, disinterested, and courageous than others. In my time I cannot think of one 'media conglomerate' that people consider fair or honest. Whether it be Fox News, The New York Times, or Air America, every outlet has biases and agendas to the right, or the left. But people consider many of the reporters who work for these companies to be fair, and just in their journalism. Do we say CBS was an unbiased and trustworthy source of news reporting during the 50s, 60s and 70s? No, we say that Murrow, and Cronkite were fair and just. Do we say that MSNBC today is an unbiased and trustworthy source of news reporting? No, because Keith Olberman doesn't make up for their Chris Matthews, and Tucker Clarsons. We put of trust not in an outlet but in people, based on their courage, accuracy, eloquence, and ultimately, in whether history has validated their reports.

I say this to say that for the next couple of weeks people will criticize Murdoch and the Dow Jones Company for this deal, but this criticism is misplaced. Journalism is run by people, and no single person will every dominate the media (or even a media outlet) as long as others have voices and a soapbox to stand challenge them. Our only task is to find such trustworthy voices in a sea of propaganda and selfish deceit. And while this buy-out may have made this search more difficult, it is hardly impossible.

Keep the faith.