Just thought I would forward on some details re Murdoch's media takeover and AVAAZ's petition to prevent this.
UK citizens who are concerned may wish to sign the petition.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/murdoch_messages_2/97.php?cl_tta_sign=cd806fbbaa143c74583cdd44f077141f
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Dear friends across the UK,
Jeremy Hunt has just said he'll allow Murdoch to own all of BSkyB. We have just three days to flood the government's public consultation with requests to stop the deal.
We've done it before -- in the last consultation Hunt said our avalanche of 40,000 messages delayed the deal as his officials had to read each email carefully, fearing a legal challenge. But the government is pushing the deal through despite the hacking scandal of murdered Milly Dowler -- the latest grim episode that shows how Murdoch's media tramples standards and ignores ethics.
Murdoch already controls more of our media than is legal in many countries – and is notorious for using his power to skew our politics. The official consultation ends this Friday -- let's tell the government we don't want his media empire to control our largest commercial broadcaster. Send a message now calling on Jeremy Hunt and David Cameron to refuse Murdoch's BSkyB deal until there's a full Competition Commission review and a full public inquiry into phone hacking. And tell your friends to do the same.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/murdoch_messages_2/97.php?cl_tta_sign=cd806fbbaa143c74583cdd44f077141f
Thanks to hundreds of generous donations from across the UK, Avaaz has launched an all-out campaign to stop the Murdoch deal -- running an opinion poll to be released to national press, buying adverts urging key decision-makers to stand up to Murdoch's corrupting power, and initiating a legal challenge. But to succeed, we must match these tactics with our voices in the official democratic process. We must show that this is something people take personally, in every corner of the country -- and that ignoring us would carry a political price.
Many say the deal is done, but if we bombard the political elite, the public and the official process with one clear message -- the people of Britain reject this deal -- we can still win.
To bypass critics, Murdoch promised to spin off Sky News as an "independent" company. But media experts point out that this is a farce: News Corp will still pay Sky News's bills, provide its satellite access, and be able to place loyalists on the board. This fake and only temporary independence is exactly the sort of "safeguard" that Murdoch has created to whitewash previous takeovers -- and subsequently brushed aside like a cobweb.
Let's tell Jeremy Hunt that Murdoch has too much power already -- we don't want him wholly owning Britain's largest commercial broadcaster any more than we want him owning our politicians!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/murdoch_messages_2/97.php?cl_tta_sign=cd806fbbaa143c74583cdd44f077141f
Responsible media is a vital pillar in any democracy, informing voters and holding the government to account. Murdoch's media is the opposite: it spreads hatred, war, and division, and turns politicians into puppets. This week is a major battle for our media freedom. Let's stand up for our democracy.
With hope,
Alex, Sam, Alice, Brianna, Pascal, Graziela and the whole Avaaz team
Sources:
Jeremy Hunt 'wrong not to refer NewsCorp bid for BSkyB':
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/8358824/News-Corp-clears-way-for-BSkyB-bid-with-plan-to-spin-off-Sky-News.html
Jeremy Hunt a Rupert Murdoch fan:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2011/03/04/jeremy-hunt-a-rupert-murdoch-fan-115875-22964525/
News Corp-Sky deal: opponents urge MPs to lobby Jeremy Hunt:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/14/news-corp-sky-jeremy-hunt
Letting Rupert Murdoch buy BSkyB creates a media superpower with worrying influence:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/features/2011/03/04/letting-rupert-murdoch-buy-bskyb-creates-a-media-superpower-with-worrying-influence-115875-22964550/
Avaaz.org is a 9-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 13 countries on 4 continents and operates in 14 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
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