The stock response to a wingnut screaming about the “liberal media” is to remind him or her that the news media is owned by wealthy, conservative executives who operate multinational conglomerates — not liberals. The counterattack we hear is that the corporations and upper-level executives don’t influence content.
They do.
For example, apparently executives at GE and News Corp have decided to muzzle the feud between Olbermann and O’Reilly. Olbermann, for one, never consented to such a deal, responding to the New York Times via email: “I am party to no deal.”
At an off-the-record summit meeting for chief executives sponsored by Microsoft in mid-May, the PBS interviewer Charlie Rose asked Jeffrey Immelt, chairman of G.E., and his counterpart at the News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, about the feud.
Both moguls expressed regret over the venomous culture between the networks and the increasingly personal nature of the barbs. Days later, even though the feud had increased the audience of both programs, their lieutenants arranged a cease-fire, according to four people who work at the companies and have direct knowledge of the deal.
It’s worth noting that Immelt has donated money to the campaigns of Rudy Giuliani, Birther Roy Blunt, Mitch McConnell and George W. Bush. He’s also donated money to Democrats like Hillary Clinton, but not as much. And of course we all know about Murdoch’s politics.
Liberal media. Uh-huh.
