NY Times Accuses Rupert Murdoch of Anti-Climate ‘Misinformation’ Campaign on Australian Bushfires

Charlie NashJan 9th, 2020, 10:40 am
 

Jason Reed/Getty Images

New York Times Australian bureau chief Damien Cave documented on Wednesday how media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his company News Corp. are spearheading a campaign of anti-climate “misinformation” about the Australian bushfire crisis.

“The idea that ‘greenies’ or environmentalists would oppose measures to prevent fires from ravaging homes and lives is simply false,” wrote Cave, adding, however, that the notion has become accepted because of a “narrative that’s been promoted for months by conservative Australian media outlets, especially the influential newspapers and television stations owned by Rupert Murdoch.”

“And it’s far from the only Murdoch-fueled claim making the rounds. His standard-bearing national newspaper, The Australian, has also repeatedly argued that this year’s fires are no worse than those of the past — not true,” Cave declared. “And on Wednesday, Mr. Murdoch’s News Corp, the largest media company in Australia, was found to be part of another wave of misinformation.”

The new wave of “misinformation,” according to Cave, was “exaggerating the role of arson in the fires.”

“It’s all part of what critics see as a relentless effort led by the powerful media outlet to do what it has also done in the United States and Britain — shift blame to the left, protect conservative leaders and divert attention from climate change,” he proclaimed, noting that many are “increasingly connecting News Corp to the spread of misinformation and the government’s lackluster response to the fires.”

Other journalists agreed on social media, with Recode co-founder Kara Swisher declaring, “If you had to pick one person who has been the largest menace in the modern world, spreading hate and disinformation that has disastrous results everywhere he goes, Rupert Murdoch or, as I like to call him, Uncle Satan, would top the list.”

“Yep,” agreed the Intercept’s Mehdi Hasan. “Climate change. Iraq war. Brexit. Fox News.”

“My father, who reads Murdoch’s Sydney Daily Telegraph every day, genuinely believes ‘the Greens’ have caused the fires,” claimed Politico senior editor Ryan Heath. “The Greens are not in power anywhere (save for three urban mayors) – they do not have the power to implement any policies that either cause or prevent the fires.”

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