Think an 'independent' editorial board will protect CNN from political meddling? Think again
"They're not worth the paper they're printed on." The speaker was media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, who had accepted a sheaf of guarantees of editorial independence for the revered Times of London and the Sunday Times in order to secure government approval to take over the newspapers in 1981. Among Murdoch's undertakings were that the newspapers' editors would maintain control of their political…
Former Times editor Harold Evans claims that Rupert Murdoch shattered the promises made during the 1981 acquisition of the Times of London and Sunday Times. Evan's memoirs reveal that Murdoch violated every guarantee, disregarding the independence of the newspapers' political policies and editorial content. The oversight board, intended to shield the papers from Murdoch's influence, comprised four national figures and required approval for hiring or firing the top editor.
As the News Editorial Independence Board is proposed, Murdoch's actions serve as a cautionary tale about the reliability of such assurances.
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