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Journalism of Courage
A senior British minister had to step aside from media policy issues after telling undercover reporters he had “declared war” on media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Business Secretary Vince Cable was taped by Daily Telegraph journalists posing as constituents saying “I have declared war on Mr Murdoch and I think we are going to win.”
Murdoch’s News Corp owns several British newspapers and has a 40 per cent stake in broadcaster BSkyB. Its bid to buy the remaining shares in BSkyB was cleared yesterday by European regulators,but is still under investigation by regulators in Britain and is opposed by Murdoch’s many rivals.
Prime Minister Dave Cameron called Cable’s comments “totally unacceptable and inappropriate,” his office said. The leader said Cable will play no further part in the decision over News Corp’s takeover bid.
Cable’s comments were on a recording of the conversation played by the BBC. They were not reported by the Telegraph,which ran a story Tuesday about other remarks Cable made to its reporters.
On the tape,Cable says Murdoch “is trying to take over BSkyB.
He has a minority shareholding and he wants a majority – and majority control would give them a massive stake. I have blocked it using the powers that I have.”
As business secretary,Cable was responsible for deciding whether to refer the takeover bid to the Competition Commission. News Corp said it was “shocked and dismayed” and said Cable’s reported comments “raise serious question’s about fairness and due process.”
