In a May 2 MRC TimesWatch item, Clay Waters accuses the New York Times of having “a clear Rupert Murdoch obsession” because of its front-page coverage of News Corp. scandals. Waters notes that News Corp. “a direct Times competitor in New York with the Wall Street Journal and New York Post,” but he fails to mention other News Corp. properties in New York.
News Corp. — which is headquartered in New York city — also owns New York TV station WNYW, the Fox Broadcasting flagship, as well as community newspapers in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. News Corp.’s book division, HarperCollins, is also headquartered in New York.
That significant New York presence makes News Corp. a local story. Does Waters think the Times shouldn’t cover local news?
If you’ll recall, the MRC has long tried to downplay News Corp.’s phone-hacking scandal at its British newspapers in order to protect its beloved Fox News.