Like many other #p2 I took great pleasure in hearing British MP Tom Watson call out Glenn Beck as a bigot. Watching the headline of Jason Linkins’ Huffington Post article, “British MP Tom Watson To Glenn Beck: 'You Are A Bigot'”, streaming by repeatedly on Twitter warmed my heart. Although I enjoyed seeing Beck called a bigot, it was MP Watson’s final volley that impressed me most and that I think is most important.
It is Rupert and James Murdoch who should answer for bigots such as Glenn Beck and phone hackers such as Clive Goodman and Glen Mulcaire. They employ them. They promote them. They are responsible for them. It is time for thinking citizens in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia to unite against the Murdochs' vicious brand of politics that masquerades as publishing.
Thank you MP Watson, I couldn’t agree more. Glenn Beck is a bigot, a fool and a hatemonger. But without the exposure he receives via the Murdochs he would be just another moron spouting crap at a backyard barbecue. Glenn Beck is not our real problem, the Murdochs are.
We need more leaders like Britain’s MP Watson to stand up and say so. The Murdochs are businessmen, and unless they perceive it as a threat to their business, they will continue to provide a platform for Beck and his ilk. Leaders here in the US need to step up as well and call out the Murdochs for their role, and consider their reputation when reviewing new deals and acquisitions. As consumers, we need to put the pressure on as well.
Great work has been done encouraging sponsors to avoid Glenn Beck’s programming. However, even with no sponsors Beck is not going away. This is because Beck draws in a large audience that then sticks around creating value for sponsors and driving up the cost of advertising on other programs. The Murdochs will take this deal from here to eternity. Although it’s a moral victory for us progressives to see Beck’s program running with no sponsors, it will have little or no impact.
The Murdochs won’t reconsider their arrangement with Glenn Beck until they perceive it as a threat to their broader business empire. The successful efforts pressuring sponsors to drop Glenn Beck need to be expanded to have a broader view. Companies that advertise on any Murdoch/News Corp platforms are supporting Beck, et al, and we need to let them know we perceive it as such.
And it’s not only the advertisers we need to convince; it’s ourselves and each other. Last Tuesday evening I watched as my Twitter stream became crowded with #idol and #idolsnark hash tags. Thoughtful #p2 who rail against Fox News all week long don't seem to make the connection that tuning into their local Fox affiliate to watch American Idol just helps fill the Murdochs’ coffers. We need to think more clearly than this and realize when we may be part of the problem. If the same people who organize efforts against Beck and others are tuning in to American Idol and consuming other News Corp products, the Murdochs will continue to laugh all the way to the bank.
