Beware of Indian Rupert Murdochs

Media Baron Rupert Murdoch has been caught with his pants down. The phone hacking scandal at News of the World has laid bare the mercenary approach of Murdoch to news. It also has brought to light his damn-care attitude for law of the land and news ethics.

Well, the gumption of the baron is not unfounded. He has known to be chummy with the Big Guns of power. His proximity to British prime ministers is legendry. He has ostensibly discussed policy matters with them in close door parleys.From Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron, he has been a buddy to all.

And he has changed sides from Labour to Conservatives with a alacrity that doesn’t defies logic. For he knows well which side of the bread his butter is.And it is this proximity that is giving the Tories nightmares now.

The scandal is escalating to embrace the ruling British Establishment. As things stand Cameron’s former director of communications Andy Coulson was the editor of the tabloid when the hacking incident took place. This can have politically damaging consequences for the prime minister.

Though Murdoch has decided to shut shop at the News of the World it is seen more of a damage control exercise to stem the image loss of the company and go through the paces of successfully buying out of BskyB TV the revenues of which is nine times more than the shamed tabloid. So it is actually a good business decision with a cherry topping of ethics.

The trans-Atlantic media moghul has now become an epitome of the Satanic Fourth Estate. His business empire spans United States, Europe,Australia and Asia. Currently he is the 117th richest person in the world.


In India News Corporation’s Star India is present across the television value chain, directly or through strategic stakes, in content. It has presence in Anand Bazar Patrika Group, Balaji Telefilms, till recently, Star Network and in distribution networks of Hathway and TataSky.

That’s enough hold on the news jugular.

But in India Murdoch is not the only one who has a grip on the media jugular. Domestic players have also gone far in the game.

The cross media holding laws of the land are not in tune with international standards. This has led big corporates to acquire media holdings in different platforms like Print, TV and Web. In the process small media players are having a tough time. Many are condemned to compromise to survive. This trend has sinister implications for monopolistic practices.


The self-serving nexus of corporates and the politicians are well-known. With corporates holding the rein of media groups probability of news getting maniputated gets high.


Though FDI is specifically restricted in domestic media holdings, the amount of foreign money in Indian media is as high as 40%.

There has been a spurt in the growth of regional TV channels in the country.
Most of it is being launched by Industrial Groups. Media is being considered as one of the verticals of the business. Symbiotic relationship between regional media and local commerce is a comfort zone which is serving both the parties well.


The overt actions of the media are all too palpable. It has a fairly positive note. Media has been directly acting as a pressure group over judiciary, politicians, police and the civic authorities.

However the hidden agenda is the subtext in which one should read into.

These manifest in highlighting of select political personalities, paid coverage during elections, downplaying important news, stressing chosen party positions and furthering of business agenda of the mother corporate.

Radiagate was just an aspect of this subversion.

So in the end of the day it is not some trans-Atlantic Murdoch that we should we wary of, but our alarm should be our own desi media moghuls.

After the phone hacking scandal voices are being raised in Britain for an independent media watchdog.

In India the case for a impartial an effective media watchdog is even stronger.