14 July 2011 — Avaaz

For decades Murdoch has ruled with impunity — making and breaking governments with his vast media holdings and scaring opponents into silence, but this week we showed that people power can beat him.

Since November we’ve led the fight against Murdoch’s media takeover! Through almost 1 million actions, 7 campaigns, 30,000 phone calls, investigations and countless stunts and legal tactics, we’ve blocked Murdoch’s BSkyB deal! Jeremy Hunt twice said our 200,000 submissions and threat to sue delayed the government’s sign-off on the deal.

Now we need to make sure justice is done, press for media laws so this never happens again, and take our red-hot UK campaign global, to roll back the Murdoch menace everywhere. The dirty tricks and illegal hacking don’t stop with one paper, or one country. Murdoch’s empire systematically breaks the law and undermines our democracies across the world. We’re loosening his grip on the UK, but he still has a strong hold over the US, Australia and other countries. Let’s join together to stop him:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_donate_uk/?vl

Here’s the plan: together we can a) help investigate and get justice for News International’s abuses in the UK and beyond b) organize prominent voices to speak out on this issue across the world and c) mobilize people behind new laws and legal actions that stop Murdoch and clean up our media for good.

Avaaz members live in every country where Murdoch works, making our movement the only one that can truly take a campaign against his global empire and win. The time is now — If just 10,000 of us donate a small amount each, we can seize this once-in-a-generation chance. Click below to chip in:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_donate_uk/?vl

For weeks, daily revelations have uncovered the extent of Murdoch media’s corruption in the UK. His operatives hacked the phones of thousands of people, including grieving widows and murdered schoolgirls. They stole a Prime Minister’s bank information, paid huge sums to police officers, and staged a massive cover up, which included James Murdoch authorizing hush money to victims.

But this is the tip of the iceberg — Murdoch is a global problem. He’s famous for dictating editorial positions to his papers. He corrupts and controls democracies by pushing politicians to back his extremist ideas on war, torture and a host of other planetary ills, and destroying careers with smear campaigns unless they do his bidding. In the US, he helped elect George W. Bush and has most of the Republican presidential candidates on his payroll (see sources below). His Fox News Network spread lies to promote the war in Iraq, pushed resentment of Muslims and immigrants and spawned the right-wing tea party. Maybe worst of all, he has helped block critical global action on climate change.

Thanks to all of our work – including the newspaper ads, legal teams and successive stunts to provide media visuals — Murdoch’s reign of fear is breaking down, and politicians in the US and Australia are beginning to speak out. His empire is beginning to crumble, but we need to widen the cracks by making sure justice is done and politicians pass laws to clean up the media for good. Let’s make it happen together:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_donate_uk/?vl

Our community kept campaigning on this issue when almost everyone else in the UK gave up hope. Because we’re people-powered, we don’t have the same fear of Murdoch that almost everyone else does. It’s part of the promise that people power has for change in the world. Today, hope is breaking out in the UK — let’s keep the pressure up!

With determination,

Ricken, Alex, Emma, Maria Paz, Giulia, Luis, Alice, Brianna and the rest of the Avaaz team

SOURCES:

Hunt bows to pressure and puts deal on hold (The Mirror)
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/07/08/culture-secretary-jeremy-hunt-bows-to-pressure-and-puts-decision-on-rupert-murdoch-s-bskyb-takeover-on-hold-115875-23255545/

Murdoch maimed by social media (The Scotsman)
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/opinion/Lesley-Riddoch-Murdoch-maimed-by.6799263.jp?articlepage=1

40,000 submissions delay Hunt’s BSkyB decision (Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/19/news-corp-bskyb-approval-delayed

Latest Updates on British Phone Hacking Scandal (Telegraph)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8617707/News-of-the-World-phone-hacking-live.html

Who is Rupert Murdoch? (Center for American Progress)
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/07/b122948.html

The global reach of Murdoch’s News Corp (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14104349

Australia may review media laws after News Corp scandal (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/14/newscorp-australia-idUSL3E7IE0BO20110714

Fox News 2012? Nearly All Potential GOP Presidential Candidates On FNC Payroll (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/27/fox-news-has-nearly-all-p_n_740070.html