In his first interview since News Corp. began its inexorable collapse under the weight of his media empire's transgressions, Murdoch admitted to only "minor mistakes."
And the phrase isn't sitting well, even from those who have defended him:
Oh, and by the way, according to Roger Cohen of the New York Times, we're part of that "braying mob."
But let's leave Cohen for the time being and move back to Murdoch's interview...
This from the Wall Street Journal, owned by News Corp.:
In an interview, Mr. Murdoch said News Corp. has handled the crisis "extremely well in every way possible," making just "minor mistakes."
The six-year saga centers on dubious reporting tactics at the company's News of the World tabloid in the U.K., a controversy that in recent days has prompted the company to both shutter the paper and abandon one of its biggest deals ever – its attempt to take full control of pay-TV company British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC.
Despite a public outcry, Mr. Murdoch said the damage to the company is "nothing that will not be recovered. We have a reputation of great good works in this country." Asked if he was aggravated by the negative headlines in recent days, he said he was "just getting annoyed. I'll get over it. I'm tired."
He'll get over it – get over the likelihood that, at the behest of his employees, News Corp. has likely led one of the most disgusting and painful journalistic overreaches in the history of American media (to say nothing of the exponential nature of this "overreach" in Britain). And the word "overreach" here is, of course, bombastically generous.
But of course Murdoch is ultimately the one to blame here, for when you create a media empire, and media entities, which are dedicated to the creation of sensationalist stories, both social and political, with no concern for the consequences of such creations, you are left with this:
--> A company capable of victimizing not only the victims of some of the most heinous crimes on record, but their families as well.
--> A company capable of illegally hacking into the private records of politicians, not to confirm a story (as if that would be acceptable), but to see if there could possibly be a story to break.
--> A company capable of doctoring contemporary political history, in the moment, creating false conservative narratives (ahem, Fox) to realize not the education of the body politic, but the manipulation and deception of it for political and personal gain.
Am I braying yet, Roger?
See, for Murdoch the ends have always justified the twisted means. And the results, the ugly, illegal, painful results?
He'll get over them.
And anyway, they were only minor mistakes.
Author's Note: As for Mr. Cohen, one who has long championed the concept of justice both at home and around the world, particularly in the Middle East, to hear him refer to those of us (ostensibly) on the progressive left as the "braying mob" – those of us in Britain and America who have been, from the moment this began, both enraged and vocal about that rage – well, all I can do is shake my head and turn away at his use of language.
Demanding a public accounting, and being incensed about what is being learned, is not braying. Yes, I understand: innocent until proven guilty.
But I am no ass, Mr. Cohen, for voicing my disgust with a man and his media empire that has, for years, sought to do damage to both social and political institutions in Britain and America.
And I wonder if Cohen considers Cameron and the House of Commons to be braying. I wonder if he also considers the families of victims whose phones were hacked to be braying.