What happens after Murdoch? In http://slate.com/, jack Shafer has made many interesting comments. he seems to think that the old man can survive a major crisis that spreads from the UK to the US by firing top executives of News Corp, including his son James. I am not so sure. Rupert has a big handicap, his age. he is 80 and his many ennemies are much younger and very active.
In the New York Times, nytimes.com/, Roger Cohen praised Murdoch for saving the British press by defeating the printers unions in 1986 and buying the deficit ridden Times. All that is true but these events took place long before the internet revolution that has drastically changed the media landscape. Now, the speed of information is such and the damages to people can be so enormous that some rules must be set up. The press doesn't like regulations but a form of legal responsability could be fixed by the law. If attempts at privacy are sanctionned by heavy penalties, the publishers will be more cautious. Their best interest is to make money not to pay expensive fines to a lot of politicians.
