Misplaced Pages

#795204

56-559: The Fiji Times is owned by Motibhai Group, which purchased it from Rupert Murdoch 's News Corp on 22 September 2010 due to the enactment of the Media Industry Development Act 2010 . The Fiji Times Limited board is chaired by Kirit Patel (as of 2010), and includes Rajesh Patel, a resident director appointed in 2010 and Jinesh Patel, Director for the Motibhai Group. The former publisher Evan Hannah, an Australian citizen,

112-673: A libertarian , saying "What does libertarian mean? As much individual responsibility as possible, as little government as possible, as few rules as possible. But I'm not saying it should be taken to the absolute limit." In a speech he delivered in New York in 2005, Murdoch claimed that Blair described the BBC coverage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, which was critical of the Bush administration's response, as full of hatred of America. On 28 June 2006,

168-663: A convergence of interests between the two men over the muting of Britain's communications regulator Ofcom . In August 2008, Cameron accepted free flights to hold private talks and attend private parties with Murdoch on his yacht, the Rosehearty . Cameron declared in the Commons register of interests he accepted a private plane provided by Murdoch's son-in-law, public relations guru Matthew Freud ; Cameron did not reveal his talks with Murdoch. The gift of travel in Freud's Gulfstream IV private jet

224-502: A different position from local editors on such matters as climate change and stimulus packages to combat the financial crisis. Murdoch is a supporter of the formation of an Australian republic , having campaigned for such a change during the 1999 referendum . In 1968, Murdoch entered the British newspaper market with his acquisition of the populist News of the World , followed in 1969 with

280-472: A radio station in a remote mining town, and chairman of the Herald and Weekly Times publishing company. Murdoch had three sisters: Helen (1929–2004), Anne (born 1935) and Janet (born 1939). His Scottish-born paternal grandfather, Patrick John Murdoch , was a Presbyterian minister . Murdoch attended Geelong Grammar School , where he was co-editor of the school's official journal The Corian and editor of

336-548: Is an Australian-born American business magnate , investor, oligarch, and media proprietor. Through his company News Corp , he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including in the UK ( The Sun and The Times ), in Australia ( The Daily Telegraph , Herald Sun , and The Australian ), in the US ( The Wall Street Journal and

392-410: Is trimmed with silver metallic thread, and has a tail, nine yellow metal buttons in the front and three buttons on the cuffs and is lined with black satin. Finally, the costume contains suspenders, several yellow and red rosettes, white leather gloves , and a short sword with a handle made of mother of pearl with a medallion of the order at the end. Knights Grand Cross wear a sash and a badge or star on

448-513: The New York Post ), book publisher HarperCollins , and the television broadcasting channels Sky News Australia and Fox News (through the Fox Corporation ). He was also the owner of Sky (until 2018), 21st Century Fox ( until 2019 ), and the now-defunct News of the World . With a net worth of US$ 21.7   billion as of 2 March 2022, Murdoch is the 31st richest person in

504-459: The 1992 general election , which had been expected to end in a hung parliament or a narrow win for Labour, then led by Neil Kinnock . In the general elections of 1997 , 2001 and 2005 , Murdoch's papers were either neutral or supported Labour under Tony Blair . The Labour Party, from when Blair became leader in 1994, had moved from the centre-left to a more centrist position on many economic issues before 1997. Murdoch identifies himself as

560-503: The Fiji Times for a while following the first military coup of 14 May 1987. In protest, the newspaper published an edition with large blank spaces, where articles censored by the military would have been placed. The Fiji Times announced on 5 December 2006, in the wake of the overthrow of the civilian government by the military , that it was suspending publication rather than bow to government censorship. Military officers had visited

616-462: The Fiji Times . Censors are present in the paper's newsrooms. The newspaper's chief editor Netani Rika told Radio New Zealand International that "his journalists continue to cover every story in detail as if they were working in a democratic country without restrictions. And he says they challenge the censors by putting every possible news item before them." The website of the Fiji Times has also been censored since April 2009. The Fiji Labour Party

SECTION 10

#1732847918796

672-509: The micropayments model for obtaining revenue from online news, although this has been criticised by some. In January 2018, the CMA blocked Murdoch from taking over the remaining 61% of BSkyB he did not already own, over fear of market dominance that could potentialise censorship of the media. His bid for BSkyB was later approved by the CMA as long as he sold Sky News to The Walt Disney Company , which

728-470: The papers . It'll be the journalists who decide that – the editors." Murdoch described Howard's successor, Labor Party Prime Minister Kevin Rudd , as "more ambitious to lead the world [in tackling climate change] than to lead Australia" and criticised Rudd's expansionary fiscal policies in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 as unnecessary. In 2009, in response to accusations by Rudd that News Limited

784-467: The 1980s, Murdoch formed a close alliance with Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher . In February 1981, when Murdoch, already owner of The Sun and The News of the World , sought to buy The Times and The Sunday Times , Thatcher's government let his bid pass without referring it to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission , which was usual practice at the time. Although contact between

840-514: The 32-year-old Murdoch was ultimately successful. Later in 1964, Murdoch launched The Australian , Australia's first national daily newspaper, which was based first in Canberra and later in Sydney. In 1972, Murdoch acquired the Sydney morning tabloid The Daily Telegraph from Australian media mogul Sir Frank Packer , who later regretted selling it to him. In 1984, Murdoch was appointed Companion of

896-757: The BBC reported that Murdoch and News Corporation were considering backing new Conservative leader David Cameron at the next General Election – still up to four years away. In a later interview in July 2006, when he was asked what he thought of the Conservative leader, Murdoch replied "Not much". In a 2009 blog, it was suggested that in the aftermath of the News of the World phone hacking scandal , which might yet have transatlantic implications, Murdoch and News Corporation might have decided to back Cameron. Despite this, there had already been

952-456: The British broadcaster BSkyB in 1990 and, during the 1990s, expanded into Asian networks and South American television. By 2000, Murdoch's News Corporation owned more than 800 companies in more than 50 countries, with a net worth of more than $ 5 billion. In July 2011, Murdoch faced allegations that his companies, including the News of the World , owned by News Corporation, had been regularly hacking

1008-589: The Order of Australia (AC) for services to publishing. After the Keating government relaxed media ownership laws, in 1986 Murdoch launched a takeover bid for The Herald and Weekly Times , which was the largest newspaper publisher in Australia. There was a three-way takeover battle between Murdoch, Fairfax and Robert Holmes à Court , with Murdoch succeeding after agreeing to some divestments. In 1999, Murdoch significantly expanded his music holdings in Australia by acquiring

1064-860: The People's Republic of China, and public ownership of Australia's oil, gas and mineral resources. Rupert Murdoch's backing of Whitlam turned out to be brief. Murdoch had already started his short-lived National Star newspaper in America, and was seeking to strengthen his political contacts there. Asked about the 2007 Australian federal election at News Corporation's annual general meeting in New York on 19 October 2007, its chairman Rupert Murdoch said: "I am not commenting on anything to do with Australian politics . I'm sorry. I always get into trouble when I do that." Pressed as to whether he believed Prime Minister John Howard should continue as prime minister, he said: "I have nothing further to say. I'm sorry. Read our editorials in

1120-501: The UK, US, and Australia. As of September 2024 , the Murdoch family is involved in a court case in the US in which his three children Elisabeth , Prudence , and James are challenging their father's bid to amend the family trust to ensure that his eldest son, Lachlan , retains control of News Corp and Fox Corp, rather than the trust benefiting all of his six children, as is specified in its "irrevocable" terms. Keith Rupert Murdoch

1176-539: The UK. Murdoch has a seat on the Strategic Advisory Board of Genie Oil and Gas , having jointly invested with Lord Rothschild in a 5.5% stake in the company which conducted shale gas and oil exploration in Colorado , Mongolia , Israel , and the occupied Golan Heights . In response to print media's decline and the increasing influence of online journalism during the 2000s, Murdoch proclaimed his support of

SECTION 20

#1732847918796

1232-516: The United States and the 71st richest in the world according to Forbes magazine. After his father Keith Murdoch died in 1952, Murdoch took over the running of The News , a small Adelaide newspaper owned by his father. In the 1950s and 1960s, Murdoch acquired a number of newspapers in Australia and New Zealand before expanding into the United Kingdom in 1969, taking over the News of

1288-522: The United States. The greater degree of automation led to significant reductions in the number of employees involved in the printing process. In England, the move roused the anger of the print unions, resulting in a long and often violent dispute that played out in Wapping , one of London's docklands areas, where Murdoch had installed the very latest electronic newspaper purpose-built publishing facility in an old warehouse. The bitter Wapping dispute started with

1344-761: The World , followed closely by The Sun . In 1974, Murdoch moved to New York City, to expand into the US market; however, he retained interests in Australia and the UK. In 1981, Murdoch bought The Times , his first British broadsheet , and, in 1985, became a naturalized US citizen, giving up his Australian citizenship, to satisfy the legal requirement for US television network ownership. In 1986, keen to adopt newer electronic publishing technologies, Murdoch consolidated his UK printing operations in London, causing bitter industrial disputes. His holding company News Corporation acquired Twentieth Century Fox (1985), HarperCollins (1989), and The Wall Street Journal (2007). Murdoch formed

1400-707: The colonial era in the tropical Pacific. The editions are printed on a single white laminate bark cloth, also known as masi in Fiji, and was of a standard width requiring no trimming to fit in the press. Sometimes, the left or right sides were fringed by cutting the sheet to a depth of around 20mm. These editions are some of about a dozen known examples of bark cloth newspapers worldwide. First published in Levuka, Fiji. From 1887 published in Suva, Fiji. The Western Pacific Herald had been published 1901-1935. The Rabuka administration censored

1456-616: The controlling share in a leading Australian independent label, Michael Gudinski 's Mushroom Records ; he merged that with Festival Records , and the result was Festival Mushroom Records (FMR). Both Festival and FMR were managed by Murdoch's son James Murdoch for several years. Murdoch found a political ally in Sir John McEwen , leader of the Australian Country Party (now known as the National Party of Australia ), who

1512-570: The dismissal of 6,000 employees who had gone on strike and resulted in street battles and demonstrations. Many on the political left in Britain alleged the collusion of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government with Murdoch in the Wapping affair, as a way of damaging the British trade union movement . In 1987, the dismissed workers accepted a settlement of £60 million. In 1998, Murdoch made an attempt to buy

1568-504: The examples they set in their communities and their countries. The inaugural brief states, in part, that "gentlemen of proven loyalty to the Holy See who, by reason of their nobility of birth and the renown of their deeds or the degree of their munificence, are deemed worthy to be honored by a public expression of esteem on the part of the Holy See". The end of the brief states that they must progressively maintain, by continued meritorious deed,

1624-459: The first-ever outright majority in the proportionally elected Scottish Parliament. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official spokesman said in November 2009 that Brown and Murdoch "were in regular communication" and that "there is nothing unusual in the prime minister talking to Rupert Murdoch". In 1986, Murdoch introduced electronic production processes to his newspapers in Australia, Britain and

1680-517: The football club Manchester United F.C. , with an offer of £625 million, but this failed. It was the largest amount ever offered for a sports club. It was blocked by the United Kingdom's Competition Commission , which stated that the acquisition would have "hurt competition in the broadcast industry and the quality of British football". Murdoch's British-based satellite network, Sky Television , incurred massive losses in its early years of operation. As with many of his other business interests, Sky

1736-742: The life governor of the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne and established the Murdoch Children's Research Institute ; at the age of 102 (in 2011), she had 74 descendants. While his father was alive, he worked part-time at the Melbourne Herald and was groomed by his father to take over the family business. After his father's death, Rupert began working as a sub-editor with the Daily Express for two years. Following his father's death, when he

Fiji Times - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-431: The order, bears a representation of St. Gregory on the obverse and on the reverse the motto Pro Deo et Principe ("For God and Ruler"). The cross is suspended from a red and gold ribbon. In ecclesiastical heraldry , laymen awarded the high rank of Grand Cross can display a red and gold ribbon surrounding the shield in their personal coats of arms , but the recipients of the lower ranks place an appropriate ribbon below

1848-694: The papers around. Harold Evans , editor of the Sunday Times from 1967, was switched to the daily Times , though he stayed only a year amid editorial conflict with Murdoch. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Murdoch's publications were generally supportive of Britain's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher . At the end of the Thatcher / Major era, Murdoch switched his support to the Labour Party and its leader, Tony Blair . The closeness of his relationship with Blair and their secret meetings to discuss national policies

1904-621: The phones of celebrities, royalty, and public citizens. Murdoch faced police and government investigations into bribery and corruption by the British government and FBI investigations in the US. On 21 July 2012, Murdoch resigned as a director of News International . In September 2023, Murdoch announced he would be stepping down as chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp. Many of Murdoch's papers and television channels have been accused of biased and misleading coverage to support his business interests and political allies, and some have linked his influence with major political developments in

1960-450: The premises that evening to prohibit the publication of any " propaganda " in support of the deposed government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase . The online edition would be continuing publication as normal, however. Just before midday on 6 December, the military granted permission for the Times to resume publication without censorship. The Times reported on 9 December that two members of

2016-521: The public had been detained and questioned by the Military over letters they had written to the Times editor during the week, and were given a "verbal warning." Nonetheless, from December 2006 to April 2009, the Times was able to publish continuously articles critical of the interim government. The latter voiced its displeasure, but did not impose censorship. Following the 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis , however, all Fiji's media were censored, including

2072-645: The purchase of a controlling interest in the New Zealand daily The Dominion . In January 1964, while touring New Zealand with friends in a rented Morris Minor after sailing across the Tasman, Murdoch read of a takeover bid for the Wellington paper by the British-based Canadian newspaper magnate Lord Thomson of Fleet . On the spur of the moment, he launched a counter-bid. A four-way battle for control ensued in which

2128-414: The purchase of the struggling daily The Sun from IPC . Murdoch turned The Sun into a tabloid format and reduced costs by using the same printing press for both newspapers. On acquiring it, he appointed Albert 'Larry' Lamb as editor and – Lamb recalled later – told him: "I want a tearaway paper with lots of tits in it". In 1997 The Sun attracted 10 million daily readers. In 1981, Murdoch acquired

2184-513: The reputation and trust they had already inspired, and prove themselves worthy of the honor that had been conferred on them, by unswerving fidelity to God and to the sovereign Pontiff. The awarding of the Order of St. Gregory the Great presents no particular obligations on the recipients toward the Catholic Church – except for the general ones stated above. An eight-pointed cross , the insignia of

2240-496: The shield. The difference between the civilian and military insignia is that the former group wears the cross hanging from a green crown of laurel , whereas the latter group wears the cross hanging from a trophy of arms. The Order comprises four classes: A green uniform was later prescribed by Pope Pius IX . The uniform contains a black beaver-felt hat decorated with black silk ribbons, silver metallic twisted rope, buttons and black ostrich feathers. The jacket, made of green wool,

2296-405: The struggling Times and Sunday Times from Canadian newspaper publisher Lord Thomson of Fleet . Ownership of The Times came to him through his relationship with Lord Thomson, who had grown tired of losing money on it as a result of an extended period of industrial action that stopped publication. In the light of success and expansion at The Sun the owners believed that Murdoch could turn

Fiji Times - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-665: The student journal If Revived . Murdoch studied philosophy, politics and economics at Worcester College, Oxford , in England, where he kept a bust of Lenin in his rooms and came to be known as "Red Rupert". He was a member of the Oxford University Labour Party , stood for secretary of the Labour Club and managed Oxford Student Publications Limited , the publishing house of Cherwell . After his father's death from cancer in 1952, his mother did charity work as

2408-689: The troubled Sunday Times in Perth , Western Australia (1956) and over the next few years acquiring suburban and provincial newspapers in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory , including the Sydney afternoon tabloid The Daily Mirror (1960). The Economist describes Murdoch as "inventing the modern tabloid", as he developed a pattern for his newspapers, increasing sports and scandal coverage and adopting eye-catching headlines. Murdoch's first foray outside Australia involved

2464-454: The two before this point had been explicitly denied in an official history of The Times , documents found in Thatcher's archives in 2012 revealed a secret meeting had taken place a month before in which Murdoch briefed Thatcher on his plans for the paper, such as taking on trade unions. The Sun credited itself with helping her successor John Major to win an unexpected election victory in

2520-513: The way for the stronger Australian Labor Party to dominate Australian politics. It was the beginning of a long campaign that served McEwen well. After McEwen and Menzies retired, Murdoch threw his growing power behind the Australian Labor Party under the leadership of Gough Whitlam and duly saw it elected on a social platform that included universal free health care, free education for all Australians to tertiary level, recognition of

2576-400: Was 21, Murdoch returned from Oxford to take charge of what was left of the family business. After liquidation of his father's Herald stake to pay taxes, what was left was News Limited , which had been established in 1923. Rupert Murdoch turned its Adelaide newspaper, The News , its main asset, into a major success. He began to direct his attention to acquisition and expansion, buying

2632-640: Was already set to acquire 21st Century Fox. However, it was Comcast who won control of BSkyB in a blind auction ordered by the CMA. Murdoch ultimately sold his 39% of BSkyB to Comcast. News Corporation has subsidiaries in the Bahamas , the Cayman Islands , the Channel Islands and the Virgin Islands . From 1986, News Corporation's annual tax bill averaged around seven percent of its profits. In Britain, in

2688-500: Was born on 11 March 1931 in Melbourne , Victoria , the second of four children of Sir Keith Murdoch (1885–1952) and Dame Elisabeth ( née  Greene ; 1909–2012). He is of English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. His parents were also born in Melbourne. His father was a war correspondent and later a regional newspaper magnate, owning two newspapers in Adelaide , South Australia, and

2744-463: Was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI , seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See . The honor is bestowed upon Catholic men and women (and certain notable non-Catholics) in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and to the Catholic Church, through their unusual labors, their support of the Holy See, and

2800-527: Was forcibly removed from Fiji in 2008 as he was accused by the interim Frank Bainimarama government of meddling in Fijian politics. An online edition is published, featuring local news, sport and weather. Two editions of the Fiji Times manufactured from bark-cloth are held at the Auckland Museum . The editions, from July 4, 1908 and February 17, 1909, provide an insight into the production of newspapers in

2856-451: Was governing in coalition with the larger Menzies-Holt-Gorton Liberal Party . From the first issue of The Australian, Murdoch began taking McEwen's side in every issue that divided the long-serving coalition partners. ( The Australian , 15 July 1964, first edition, front page: "Strain in Cabinet, Liberal-CP row flares.") It was an issue that threatened to split the coalition government and open

SECTION 50

#1732847918796

2912-416: Was heavily subsidised by the profits generated by his other holdings, but convinced rival satellite operator British Satellite Broadcasting to accept a merger on his terms in 1990. The merged company, BSkyB , has dominated the British pay-TV market ever since, pursuing direct to home (DTH) satellite broadcasting. By 1996, BSkyB had more than 3.6 million subscribers, triple the number of cable customers in

2968-618: Was once highly critical of the Fiji Times , accusing it of political bias. In July 2008, the party published a report alleging that the Fiji Times had collaborated with others in a deliberate effort to unseat the 1999/2000 Labour-led government. Rupert Murdoch Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other Keith Rupert Murdoch AC KCSG ( / ˈ m ɜːr d ɒ k / MUR -dok ; born 11 March 1931)

3024-678: Was running vendettas against him and his government, Murdoch opined that Rudd was "oversensitive". Although News Limited's interests are extensive, also including the Daily Telegraph , the Courier-Mail and the Adelaide Advertiser , it was suggested by the commentator Mungo MacCallum in The Monthly that "the anti-Rudd push, if coordinated at all, was almost certainly locally driven" as opposed to being directed by Murdoch, who also took

3080-619: Was to become a political issue in Britain. This later changed, with The Sun , in its English editions, publicly renouncing the ruling Labour government and lending its support to David Cameron 's Conservative Party , which soon afterwards formed a coalition government. In Scotland, where the Conservatives had suffered a complete annihilation in 1997, the paper began to endorse the Scottish National Party (though not yet its flagship policy of independence), which soon after came to form

3136-620: Was valued at around £30,000. Other guests attending the "social events" included the then EU trade commissioner Lord Mandelson , the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and co-chairman of NBC Universal Ben Silverman . The Conservatives did not disclose what was discussed. Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( Latin : Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni ; Italian : Ordine di San Gregorio Magno )

#795204