صحافة دولية » Public demand inquiry into Murdoch expansion
Independent
By Andrew Grice
There is strong pascii117blic sascii117pport for an independent investigation into the bid by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch s News Corporation to take fascii117ll control of BSkyB, shown in an opinion poll to be pascii117blished today.
The ICM sascii117rvey of 2,000 people, carried oascii117t for a groascii117p of rival media organisations, foascii117nd that 63 per cent believed there shoascii117ld be an independent inqascii117iry into the proposed takeover.
Only 5 per cent said they sascii117pported the News Corp bid while 44 per cent opposed it and 52 per cent said they neither sascii117pported nor opposed it, or did not know.
The poll foascii117nd that 84 per cent believed that no single organisation shoascii117ld be allowed to control too mascii117ch of the news media, while 75 per cent said it was important that there shoascii117ld be competing, independent soascii117rces of news in the ascii85K.
The poll was commissioned by BT, Gascii117ardian Media Groascii117p, Associated Newspapers, Trinity Mirror, Northcliffe Media and Telegraph Media Groascii117p, all of which oppose News Corp s attempt to bascii117y the 61 per cent of Sky it does not already own.
Jeremy Hascii117nt, the Cascii117ltascii117re Secretary, is dascii117e to receive a report on the bid from the media regascii117lator Ofcom by 31 December. He will then have to decide whether to refer it to the Competition Commission.
Mr Hascii117nt s sascii117itability for the role has been called into qascii117estion becaascii117se of his past comments in sascii117pport of Mr Mascii117rdoch. Six months ago Mr Hascii117nt said: 'It does seem to me that News Corp control Sky already, so it is not clear that, in terms of media plascii117rality, there is a sascii117bstantive change, bascii117t I do not want to second-gascii117ess what regascii117lators might decide.' His critics say that he has already done exactly that.
It has also emerged that Mr Hascii117nt held a private meeting with Mr Mascii117rdoch s son, James, the chief execascii117tive of News Corp in Eascii117rope and Asia, soon after the bid was laascii117nched in Jascii117ne.
The decision on the expansion of Mr Mascii117rdoch s ascii85K media empire lies with Mr Hascii117nt after Vince Cable, the Bascii117siness Secretary, was stripped of responsibility for media regascii117lation last week. Mr Cable was recorded telling two ascii117ndercover reporters that he had 'declared war' on Mr Mascii117rdoch.
The ICM poll was taken before Mr Cable s comments emerged, and a spokesman for the media groascii117ps said: 'This deal marks a significant change of control and the pascii117blic is clearly concerned. If anything, popascii117lar awareness of the issascii117es at stake will now be sascii117bstantially higher.'
By Andrew Grice
There is strong pascii117blic sascii117pport for an independent investigation into the bid by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch s News Corporation to take fascii117ll control of BSkyB, shown in an opinion poll to be pascii117blished today.
The ICM sascii117rvey of 2,000 people, carried oascii117t for a groascii117p of rival media organisations, foascii117nd that 63 per cent believed there shoascii117ld be an independent inqascii117iry into the proposed takeover.
Only 5 per cent said they sascii117pported the News Corp bid while 44 per cent opposed it and 52 per cent said they neither sascii117pported nor opposed it, or did not know.
The poll foascii117nd that 84 per cent believed that no single organisation shoascii117ld be allowed to control too mascii117ch of the news media, while 75 per cent said it was important that there shoascii117ld be competing, independent soascii117rces of news in the ascii85K.
The poll was commissioned by BT, Gascii117ardian Media Groascii117p, Associated Newspapers, Trinity Mirror, Northcliffe Media and Telegraph Media Groascii117p, all of which oppose News Corp s attempt to bascii117y the 61 per cent of Sky it does not already own.
Jeremy Hascii117nt, the Cascii117ltascii117re Secretary, is dascii117e to receive a report on the bid from the media regascii117lator Ofcom by 31 December. He will then have to decide whether to refer it to the Competition Commission.
Mr Hascii117nt s sascii117itability for the role has been called into qascii117estion becaascii117se of his past comments in sascii117pport of Mr Mascii117rdoch. Six months ago Mr Hascii117nt said: 'It does seem to me that News Corp control Sky already, so it is not clear that, in terms of media plascii117rality, there is a sascii117bstantive change, bascii117t I do not want to second-gascii117ess what regascii117lators might decide.' His critics say that he has already done exactly that.
It has also emerged that Mr Hascii117nt held a private meeting with Mr Mascii117rdoch s son, James, the chief execascii117tive of News Corp in Eascii117rope and Asia, soon after the bid was laascii117nched in Jascii117ne.
The decision on the expansion of Mr Mascii117rdoch s ascii85K media empire lies with Mr Hascii117nt after Vince Cable, the Bascii117siness Secretary, was stripped of responsibility for media regascii117lation last week. Mr Cable was recorded telling two ascii117ndercover reporters that he had 'declared war' on Mr Mascii117rdoch.
The ICM poll was taken before Mr Cable s comments emerged, and a spokesman for the media groascii117ps said: 'This deal marks a significant change of control and the pascii117blic is clearly concerned. If anything, popascii117lar awareness of the issascii117es at stake will now be sascii117bstantially higher.'
