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New York Observer: Meet the London Times Masthead, Circa 1981 (6/19/07) by Michael Calderone
Then-staffers recall how, prior to his purchase of the English newspaper, Rupert Murdoch “approached the Times in the way he is approaching the Wall Street Journal: all these promises about editorial independence." One former correspondent's observation that "Murdoch’s control is not so much in donning shirtsleeves and overseeing every editorial... but in appointing the right people" is borne out by then-editorial writer Richard Davy's disturbing tale of returning from a sabbatical to work under a new editor, "the conservative Charles Douglas-Home":Davy... returned to a very different environment. “We were told that we should have no criticism of Margaret Thatcher or Ronald Reagan,” said Mr. Davy. Mr. Davy said that he “always assumed this was because [Mr. Murdoch] wanted access to Downing Street and the White House,” rather than being motivated by deep political leanings. “With Charlie, he was able to find someone to toe the line,” said Mr. Davy, who characterized Mr. Douglas-Home as having “little experience in foreign affairs [and being] easily moved.”
Plus New York Observer: Phil Donahue Strikes Back (6/19/07) by Felix Gillette. Refusing to let corporate media executives silence him, the career TV host has "financed with his own money" a documentary about a "twentysomething native of Kansas City, Mo." who was paralyzed by a bullet "on his fifth day in combat" in Iraq. When interviewed, Donahue
seemed content to be on the outside of the mainstream media looking in. “You still can’t say that we’re losing,” said Mr. Donahue.... “You can’t say that our soldiers have died in vain. You can’t criticize the war because if you do, you’re demoralizing the troops. You can’t show flag-draped coffins.” For the time being, Mr. Donahue is free to say whatever he wants. All he has to do is find a distributor and an audience.
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