The Saudi consulate was bugged by Turkish Intelligence. The planning and the execution were all recorded. ibid.
Saudi Arabia wasn’t always this repressive. Now it’s unbearable. ibid. newspaper article 2017
In 1995 Panorama got a scoop its rivals the world over wanted. It changed history. Now an independent inquiry for the BBC has found that reporter Martin Bashir used forgeries to get the interview, deceiving Princess Diana and her brother. Martin Bashir spun a web of elaborate lies to win the trust of the Princess. For 25 years the BBC defended its global scoop but now stands accused of a failure of integrity. Martin Bashir’s reputation lies in ruins described by the Inquiry as dishonest and devious. Panorama: Princess Diana, Martin Bashir & the BBC, BBC 2021
Keeler/Profumo/Ward is one of those ageless stories that I just cannot let go … Much of it is relevant today. Keeler, Profumo, Ward & Me, Tom Mangold, Daily Express, BBC 2020
With huge profits as the prize, Fleet Street reporters like me, who thought ethics was a county near London, were unleashed. ibid.
I saw for myself how that old order operated to make the innocent Stephen Ward a public scapegoat … ‘The worst case of wrongful conviction that I can remember in our history.’ ibid. Geoffrey Robertson QC
War Minister Shock. ibid. 15th March 1963
At the preliminary hearing, every prosecution smear against Stephen – abortionist, brothel-keeper, spy – crammed the front pages, finally trashing his reputation. ibid.
Rupert Murdoch is an enigma. Owner of The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times, Fox News and hundreds of other media outlets across the world. And yet his story is rarely told. The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty I, BBC 2020
To some he is an extraordinary business man; to others, he is a dark force. For decades Murdoch has been a force in politics at the highest level. ibid.
‘The pollution of the British press is an important part of the pollution of British political life.’ ibid. Dennis Potter
‘There is only one Rupert that we know.’ ibid. Trump
Next, he wants to conquer the British market. And he uses the same plan, starting with the tabloids, the News of the World and The Sun. Next, he tries to buy The Times and The Sunday Times. ibid.
‘The price of Rupert Murdoch’s support for Tony Blair was that Blair promised he would not take us into the European currency without first having a referendum.’ ibid. Nigel Farage
By 2009 James Murdoch is busy running a huge part of his father’s empire and he seems favourite to succeed him. The other person who is doing well isn’t actually a family member – Rebekah Wade is about to be made CEO of News International, in charge of all his UK newspapers. The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty II: The Rebel Alliance
‘These politicians literally gathered like locusts around Rupert desperate for his patronage, desperate to impress him, desperate for him to like them.’ ibid. Piers Morgan, re: Brooks’ wedding
Max Mosley became one of the very few people to have taken on the News of the World and won. ibid.
On 9th July 2009 the Guardian breaks the story on their front page: ‘Revealed: Murdoch’s £1m bill for hiding dirty tricks’. ibid.
When the police take no action the story goes cold … Above this battle it seems to be business as usual for Rupert Murdoch. ibid.
With Max Mosley’s millions as insurance, more and more people bring cases to court, and more evidence at what had been going on at the News of the World is brought into the public domain. But the Murdoch empire will pay hundreds of millions in damages to settle out of court. ibid.
‘Mr Murdoch, you must be the first Mafia boss in history that didn’t know he was running a criminal enterprise.’ ibid. Tom Watson to James Murdoch
Murdoch’s public shames leads to a public enquiry … Four of Britain’s living prime ministers are called to testify [Leveson Inquiry]. ibid.
Recently, so much of the power and influence he once enjoyed has gone. His reputation damaged by the phone hacking scandal. But Rupert is about to mastermind his comeback … The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty III: The Comeback
The [Fox] primary [US] debate is the most watched in history … Trump’s candidacy no longer seems so far-fetched. ibid.
Going out with Mick Jagger’s ex-wife brings a new kind of attention. ibid.
He decides to sell almost all of his empire … Disney pays $71 billion for the majority. ibid.
Julian Assange refused permission to appeal against US extradition by UK’s top court: Assange is wanted in America following Wikileaks’ publication of classified files:
Britain’s top court has refused Wikipeaks’ founder Julian Assange permission to appeal against a decision to extradite him to the US to face spying charges.
A Supreme Court spokesperson said that senior judges had refused Assange’s bid to challenge the decision as his case did not raise ‘an arguable point of law’. Independent online article 14 March 2022
The only qualities essential for real success in journalism are rat-like cunning, a plausible manner and a little literary ability. Nicholas Tomalin, journalist
34 journalists have been murdered since Putin became president. Breaking History: Putin: America’s Greatest Threat, History 2018
You are the driving force behind my career. Mike Wallace is Here, O’Reilly to Wallace, Sky Documentaries 2022
Tonight, we’ll discuss some of the problems of our own fourth estate. ibid. black and white Wallace
We were doing things that were at the time revolutionary. I mean asking serious questions, abrasive questions. ibid.
My job is more important than my family, and I became a casualty of that. ibid.
The question is, What kind of a country is the United States? That in the last few years has killed a president, President Kennedy. Has killed Martin Luther King. And now attempts to kill Robert Kennedy. Malcolm X, the black militant leader. What kind of curious strain of violence is there in the American people? ibid.
Life is gonna even up somehow. Life is gonna turn around and bite you in the back. ibid.
Julian is in the harshest prison in the UK; he’s not serving a sentence. And the US want to put him in prison for 175 years, about publishing to the truth about the Iraq and Afghan wars The Imprisonment of Julian Assange, wife, Al Jazeera 25.00, 2023
These publications were a game-changer. This really opened the eyes of the public to what was going on. ibid.
In 2019 the US charged him with publishing classified materials and has been fighting to extradite him. ibid. commentary
Assange was dragged out of the embassy and arrested by British police on a US extradition request in 2019. ibid.
Fentanyl: This is the most dangerous drug in America … I had done my research and I knew that people who work in these labs die very often. Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller s1e9: Shining a Light
Where journalism should truly lie is in shining a light in worlds we know little about. ibid.
Julian Assange has become one of the most influential and divisive figures of our time. A martyr for free speech and freedom of information to some, a reckless anarchist to others. Four Corners: The US v Julian Assange, Youtube 45.57, ABC 2019
In the 2016 campaign … the publication of thousands of emails stolen from senior figures in the Democratic National Committee was enthusiastically embraced by candidate Donald Trump. Now as president Trump has flipped. ibid.
Few people have had an impact on this century quite like Julian Assange. And few have been as polarising. To some he’s a principle champion of free speech. To others he’s an irresponsible anarchist. Assange has sparked fierce debate. Four Corners: Hero or Villain: The Prosecution of Julian Assange, Youtube 46.27, ABC 2019
He’s now facing espionage charges and could spend the rest of his life in jail. ibid.
We look at how he has harnessed the power of the digital era and ask the question, Is Assange a hero or a villain? ibid.
The footage showed an attack on a group of men by US Apache helicopters. 12 people including 2 Reuters news staff were killed. 2 children were injured. ibid.
The collateral murder video changed everything … The source of the video was Bradley [Chelsea] Manning. ibid.