The Leveson inquiry into British journalistic ethics, which has focused on the workings of News International, Rupert Murdoch's news organization in the U.K., has become something of a daily morning and afternoon soap opera in the U.K.; is going virtually unnoticed in the U.S.; and has become a primetime hit in Australia. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) commented on its blog today (Friday) that the inquiry can be regarded as "the ultimate courtroom TV drama" because it's "the real thing, with huge stakes. ... There are 'victims', according to the inquiry definitions, and in terms of dramatic structure there are 'villains', and the star is our own Rupert Murdoch. How good does TV get?" Murdoch, who was born in Australia, is actually an American (he was forced to become one in order to own U.S. broadcasting licenses, which can only be issued to American citizens), but he is regarded as one of the most powerful figures in Britain, where his newspapers hold great sway. However, Murdoch's newspapers in Australia, which are joined under the umbrella of News Limited, are also regarded as a driving force of the country's politics. And, commented the ABC, the outcome of the British inquiries will likely lead to "criminal convictions and major changes to media regulation in the U.K., and with News Limited so caught up in all this, any regulatory changes resulting in the U.K. will stir up the Australian regulatory landscape, and alter the perspective of Australian audiences of our own media."

15/06/2012