Soundbite: Murdoch Deputy Says “Beware Of Geeks Bearing Gifts”

“The news, they say, is viral now – that we should be grateful. Well, I think all of us need to beware of geeks bearing gifts. Here we are in 2009 – more viral, less profitable. Because news costs. Because quality costs. Because free sets the price too low. Because free isn’t sustainable. Because free is too expensive.”
–Dow Jones CEO Les Hinton, railing against the “content kleptomaniacs” who dominate the Web
In a blistering speech at the World Newspaper Conference, Hinton echoed his boss Rupert Murdoch‘s suspicions about the Internet. Along with the pugnacious quote above (though who actually says “the news is viral?”), he compared old media entering the web to “an over-eager middle-aged dad,” criticized aggregators and “thieves” for the newspaper industry’s nosedive, and called out Jeff Jarvis as a moony-eyed leader of “the information-must-be-free imperative.”
To which Jarvis replied on his blog: a. I’m not actually a member of that crowd, and b. hey, remember when Rupert Murdoch favorably referenced me in a speech in 2005?
Read the full speech at paidcontent.org.
(via paidcontent; h/t Romenesko)
Sign up for Mediaite's daily newsletter.
-
m
Roland Martin’s CNN Suspension: Has GLAAD Become A Bullying Organization?
Stand-Up Comedian Dons Blackface To Ask BYU Students About Black History Month
More Online/Print:
















Roland Martin Slams Mitt Romney, High Fives Soledad O’Brien, Leaves To Do Another Show
Bill O’Reilly Compares ‘Witch Hunt’ To Fire Ellen DeGeneres From JC Penney Ads To McCarthyism
Ice Cold: Maria Menounos Loses Super Bowl Bet, Wears Only A Bikini In Times Square
Tom Brady’s Wife Caught Cursing, Blaming Patriots Receivers For Super Bowl Loss
Keith Olbermann Returns Amid Reports He’s Hanging By A Thread
Bernie Goldberg Fumes To Bill O’Reilly Over ‘Bigotry On The Right’: ‘I’m Sick Of This’
Ellen DeGeneres Fires Back At One Million Moms, Mocks Them For Only Having 40,000 Fans On Their Facebook Page
Karen Handel Resigns As Senior VP Of Susan G. Komen
Bill O’Reilly Compares ‘Witch Hunt’ To Fire Ellen DeGeneres From JC Penney Ads To McCarthyism









RSS