Charlie Rose

jason  03/28/2012 10:58 PM Report

saw the Frontline program in its entirety. i was very much looking forward to it but ended up very disappointed. the program attempted to link Rupert Murdoch to a the Sun and other newspapers illegal phone tapping/hacking. problem is, it did not even have evidence of senior executives involvement let alone tying Rupert Murdoch to it. all they have is some politicians and ex employees' statement saying that the "company" encouraged such behavior but the program was not able to get the speakers to name names let alone having audio or video proof of senior executives giving orders to do phone tapping. so this documentary degenerated to be a political opinion piece, he said, she said but no video, no audio on Rupert Murdoch, on his sons, his senior exec. this is a far cry from video/picture of Weiner showing his "ware" and NPR VP on audio telling donors he is going to take down conservatives......

disappointing...

SharkswithfrikingLazers  03/28/2012 02:12 AM Report

On to America . . .

Joel Kline--what a waste of his talent:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8621524/Phone-hacking-Rupert-Murdoch-brings-in-J oel-Klein-to-oversee-investigation.html

SharkswithfrikingLazers  03/28/2012 02:10 AM Report

Best exchange:

Bergman: You’ve said that but for a butterfly’s wing and a chance encounter and pure chance, pure serendipity, it’s very possible none of this would have come out.

John Lewis: Correct. … The journey, which is something which has started as a small file in my office in Manchester, had led to the resignation of someone in 10 Downing Street. But actually that was only about 20 percent of the journey. … I describe my life as that, two or so years ago, I walked into a John Grisham novel.

I was a small-town lawyer who suddenly ended up taking on one of the world’s biggest media groups and having acted for individuals. … I would describe myself as someone who was behind the camera. Now I’ve become someone who is in front of the camera. I became part of the story. Never imagined that. …

There could be a documentary/feature film just about John Lewis.

SharkswithfrikingLazers  03/28/2012 02:01 AM Report

'No one at Newscorp would be interviewed'.

Sorry, hard time with this statement. Someone needs to pound the pavement a little harder. Even with the Mafia you can find someone who will talk.

SharkswithfrikingLazers  03/28/2012 01:59 AM Report

'No transparency, destruction of evidence, obstruction of justice.' Yes indeed, very unusual for a newspaper.

But you use the word newspaper loosely like Fox uses the word News VERY LOOSELY.

SharkswithfrikingLazers  03/28/2012 01:55 AM Report

Loved Hearst Castle. It shows what being in the top tenth of one percent was like in the good old days.

Loved Citizen Kane and "Rosebud".

Yellow Journalism . . . not so much.

SharkswithfrikingLazers  03/28/2012 01:51 AM Report

Watched it. Loved it. Keep up the great work Frontline.

mutex  03/27/2012 11:40 PM Report

Lowell Bergman is being unbelievably disingenuous. The story here is not that News Corp. told the British Parliament and a succession of Prime Ministers what to do but that THEY listened. The story isn't that bribes were paid to the Metropolitan police but that THEY took them. The fact that the Guardian, NY Times and Frontline want to go after News Corp. isn't surprising but it is hypocritical. The idea that News Corp. is the only company engaging in these practices defies credulity. Mr. Bergman, instead of smirking at the prospect of getting Murdoch, how about telling the real story about how governments and the media have a long history of being in bed together. Take the story a step further and explain why there is a market for the so-called 'news' the mainstream media peddles. Or maybe Mr. Bergman is too much of a true believer to see that ALL of the big news outlets are down in the muck and have traded the public trust for access, influence and profit. Trust me, journalism and politics are far too intertwined and perverted to believe that taking Murdoch to the woodshed will fix ANYTHING. It will however make Bill Keller and his ilk smile...which, if Bergman had any journalistic integrity, he would admit is the only reason this story is getting any publicity to begin with. Wake me up when the likes of Thatcher, Blair and Cameron (and other public officials) are held accountable...let alone Clinton, Bush or Obama. To pull back this curtain to expose Murdoch is like the line from the movie Casablanca..."I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"

jason  03/27/2012 03:30 PM Report

this is the "ACORN" or "Weiner Gate" for R. Murdoch as this is "unforced error" and self inflicted. whereas Weiner Gate is limited to a few persons and ACORN at the very worst, limited to ACORN alone, Murdoch Gate involved a global media empire, corruption, bribery... news Murdoch himself would love to "deep dive" and 24/7 intensity reporting. good job Frontline!

REMant  03/27/2012 12:11 PM Report

I don't, unfortunately, see this as an appropriate subject for Frontline at this juncture. The Fleet Street problem begins long before Murdoch, indeed, centuries before. A more interesting question is why it has pretty much died off in this country, or at least become more subtle, but not there. I believe, incidentally, Murdoch shut down the one paper, only to start a new one.