Barack Obama’s Unlikely Supporter: Rupert 'Fox News' Murdoch

[jb60606]

Posted May 29, 2008 12:34pm EDT by Sarah Lacy in Investing, Internet, Media, Newsmakers, Venture Capital, M and A, IPOs

Related: nws, msft, yhoo, nyt

Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg had a long day of grilling executives at their All Things Digital Conference. But they saved Rupert Murdoch -- their Wall Street Journal overlord -- for last. The highlight? Murdoch’s not-quite-but-almost endorsement of Barack Obama for president.

The founder -- and defender -- of Fox News said he expected Obama to win in a landslide, citing widespread unhappiness with the current administration and his disenchantment with Republican contender John McCain. Murdoch added that after a long career in the Senate, McCain had been forced to compromise too much and doesn’t stand for much. Murdoch even nonchalantly owned up to influencing the New York Post to back Obama in the New York primary.

During the Q&A, I pressed Murdoch -- a new U.S. citizen -- on whether he would actually vote for Obama in November. He said he was leaning toward it, but would know in the next six months. When I asked if I could call him, he said yes, then joked I could probably just figure it out from reading the Post.

[wordmunger]

Murdoch is usually pretty shrewd about keeping his politics separate from his media empire. I think he backed the liberals in Britain last election cycle.

[SMM]

Watching FOX (internet clips only) it is very difficult to imagine Murdoch backing anything except the neo-con agenda. I just convince myself to believe it. FOX is headed for only capturing the '23 percenters'. Maybe he is trying to paint a new image from the 50,000 ft vantage point.

[blackfox]

Watching FOX (internet clips only) it is very difficult to imagine Murdoch backing anything except the neo-con agenda. I just convince myself to believe it. FOX is headed for only capturing the '23 percenters'. Maybe he is trying to paint a new image from the 50,000 ft vantage point.

I am not sure what you mean here.

As Wm noted, Murdoch is a shrewd businessman. FOX news in in the business of making money - not reflecting owners' politics. While they may at times converge - the former is always the primary motivator.

FOX News's style of more modern, tabloid style journalism/sensationalism has been revolutionary and successful. The market they cater towards happens to be a segment of the Conservatives - an easily tapped and manipulated market.

Political allegiance has little to do with anything imo.

[solvs]

Murdoch has also given money to the Clintons. He's good at hedging his bets. He's not exactly endorsing Obama, but he doesn't really care for McCain that much, similar to a lot of conservatives, and probably knows that the writing is on the wall. He lost money hand over fist for awhile until Fox took off thanks to the mistakes and *ahem* failings of the Clenis administration and the ultra patriotism post 9/11 though, so ideology at least has something to do with it.

[buffalo]

...the Conservatives - an easily tapped and manipulated market.

Nice cheap shot thrown in there. People (i.e. conservatives) that do not see things the way you do must do so because they are easily persuaded and "manipulated," not because they might see or agree with the possible benefits to a conservative approach.

[kuebby]

Nice cheap shot thrown in there. People (i.e. conservatives) that do not see things the way you do must do so because they are easily persuaded and "manipulated," not because they might see or agree with the possible benefits to a conservative approach.

That wasn't what he was saying. He was just noting that FNC's sensationalist/tabloid style certainly seems to attract conservatives more so than liberals. Though I would say Republicans/Democrats instead of conservatives/liberals.

[Queso]

Murdoch always switches sides when he sees a landslide coming. He backs the candidate or party that is going to win anyway, then claims credit for it afterwards and asks for favours in return, namely that the winners don't immediately dismantle his stranglehold on the media.

Some would say that's shrewd. Personally I wouldn't trust him as far as I could kick him, and believe me I'd love to kick him repeatedly.

This does however bode immensely well for the Democrats. If Murdoch is switching sides he obviously believes the Dems are going to trounce the Republicans this time round.

[blackfox]

Nice cheap shot thrown in there. People (i.e. conservatives) that do not see things the way you do must do so because they are easily persuaded and "manipulated," not because they might see or agree with the possible benefits to a conservative approach.

I regret that I wasn't more clear. I did not mean to imply this reflected all conservatives. I also failed to put my statement(s) in context: IMO, With FOX starting during the Clinton Presidency, and with the backlash against the Democratic Party (eg: Repub. taking back Congress) as well as a general feeling of under-representation in the Media by some Conservative sectors - it was a ripe time for the success of FOX in tapping into a "new" market. I mention the manipulation as FOX News's form of news giving tends towards the sensational and therefore can be manipulative in relation to the standards of Journalism.

I am not such a crazy liberal - although I could see how that might be imferred.

Again, apologies...

[Thanatoast]

He's probably think of all the money he'll be making demonizing President Obama on a 24-hour news cycle.

[yojitani]

It would be great if Murdoch could stick a squid in Sean Hannity's mouth.:D

[buffalo]

I regret that I wasn't more clear. I did not mean to imply this reflected all conservatives. I also failed to put my statement(s) in context: IMO, With FOX starting during the Clinton Presidency, and with the backlash against the Democratic Party (eg: Repub. taking back Congress) as well as a general feeling of under-representation in the Media by some Conservative sectors - it was a ripe time for the success of FOX in tapping into a "new" market. I mention the manipulation as FOX News's form of news giving tends towards the sensational and therefore can be manipulative in relation to the standards of Journalism.

I am not such a crazy liberal - although I could see how that might be imferred.

Again, apologies...

Thank you for clarifying. All is forgiven.