Steve Walt claims that the NOTW scandal teaches us "the dangers that inevitably arise when any single company or individual exercises excessive influence in media circles":
If the Murdoch scandal doesn't convince you, just look at how Silvio Berlusconi used his media empire to drive his political career and look where Italy is today. Furthermore, politicians are likely to accommodate powerful media organizations that are willing to play hardball, punishing politicians they didn't like and rewarding officials who played along. The NewsCorp was a master at this, and it is no wonder David Cameron and even Scotland Yard became compliant. The media sector is a critical part of any society, and keeping ownership divided as much as possible is essential for a healthy democracy. If ever there were a part of our society where aggressive anti-trust policy is essential, it is right here.
But News Corp has nothing like a monopoly, even over newspapers, in Britain. And the great thing Walt misses is a little something called the BBC, a massive publicly funded media behemoth which all but makes the ability of UK papers to compete online impossible. In the context of the massive influence of the BBC – and its soft-liberal soft-biases – I don't think the danger of Murdoch is monopoly. Just corruption.
(Image via TDW)
The Dish 