The Murdoch Empire: An Inside View

Coverage Type: 

[Commentary] If Rupert Murdoch has a thought-out plan to influence politics and the op-ed editor of The Wall Street Journal doesn't know about it, it must be a very subtle plan indeed. Wall Street Journal editors and writers had been by far the freest at a major American newspaper. That freedom continued under Rupert Murdoch.

People who have never worked in large corporations or in government are often inclined to ascribe near magical powers of management to the people who lead them. The truth about organizations is much more interesting, if less satisfying to the conspiracy-minded. It is nearly impossible to control more than about 20 or so people, and only then if they directly report to you. Most people go about their business in semi-autonomous units, perhaps with a vague notion of pleasing someone distant up the chain of command, but most often with a simple desire to do their best job as they and their immediate colleagues see it. If you want an example of editorial independence at News Corp., look at how often "The Simpsons" mock their broadcasters at Fox. So what about the phone-hacking issue that now has politicians on both sides of the pond demanding investigations of the Murdoch "empire"? It's not part of a corporate culture that I have been exposed to. Do I believe some editors and reporters could have skirted ethical norms without direction or knowledge at the top? Yes, such things happen in large organizations.


The Murdoch Empire: An Inside View