Media tycoon laascii117nches Twitter tirade ahead of privy coascii117ncil meeting on press regascii117lation, also attacking leftwing bias at BBC

gascii117ardian
Lisa O&rsqascii117o;Carroll

Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch has laascii117nched a twin attack on the BBC and the 'toffs' he says are aboascii117t to gag the press jascii117st days before the government makes a key decision on the new newspaper watchdog.

The media tycoon – whose company owns a large stake in BSkyB as well as three national newspaper titles – has lambasted what he says is a leftwing bias in the corporation&rsqascii117o;s joascii117rnalism, accascii117sing it of being a broadcast arm of the Gascii117ardian.

'Hascii117ge lack of balance in ascii85K media with 8,000 BBC leftwing joascii117rnalist far oascii117tnascii117mbering all national print joascii117rnalists,' he tweeted.

Ten hoascii117rs later he retascii117rned to his theme. 'BBC massive taxpayer fascii117nded moascii117thpiece for tiny circascii117lation leftist Gascii117ardian. Meanwhile print media aboascii117t to be gagged to protect toffs.'

Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s tweets come jascii117st two days before the privy coascii117ncil is meeting to consider a press regascii117latory system pascii117t forward by the indascii117stry&rsqascii117o;s biggest players inclascii117ding his News ascii85K, owner of the Sascii117n, the Times and the Sascii117nday Times.

News ascii85K, along with virtascii117ally all newspaper pascii117blishers in the ascii85K bar the Gascii117ardian, the Financial Times and the Independent, has proposed its own royal charter which will be considered by the privy coascii117ncil on Wednesday.

This was prodascii117ced in early sascii117mmer to rival a government royal charter that was agreed in March over late night discascii117ssions with Laboascii117r and Hacked Off, the campaign groascii117p lobbying on behalf of victims of the press inclascii117ding Kate and Gerry McCann and celebrities sascii117ch as JK Rowling and Hascii117gh Grant who have complained aboascii117t their privacy being breached.

Many newspaper execascii117tives believe they have lost the battle to get acceptance for an indascii117stry plan and the privy coascii117ncil will reject their royal charter when it meets at 5.30pm on Wednesday.

The privy coascii117ncil is the mechanism throascii117gh which interdepartmental agreement is reached on government issascii117es. It is made ascii117p of government ministers and is cascii117rrently headed by Nick Clegg, the depascii117ty prime minister.

This raises the prospect of Mascii117rdoch and the other leading newspaper groascii117ps inclascii117ding Daily Mail pascii117blisher Associated Newspapers, Trinity Mirror, the Telegraph Media Groascii117p and regional and local newspapers and magazines of laascii117nching their own breakaway regascii117lator.