Murdoch made this mess

The scandal unfolding in Great Britain regarding Rupert Mudoch's "News of the World" tabloid should focus renewed attention on Murdoch's properties in America: Fox News and the Wall Street Journal.

It is no secret in the journalism world that Murdoch has a personal interest in the more sordid aspects of journalism, namely, the dirt on celebrities and politicians. You can bet your bottom dollar that Murdoch at least tacitly approved of any method to get the dirt on such celebrities and politicians. Afterall, he paid for those "scoops."

Now that "The News of the World" has been exposed as the slimiest news organization in the world, outside of Communist regimes, for tapping cell phones of family of murder and terror victims, Murdoch moved to consolidate his properties. He closed down the 168-year-old "News of the World" so that it can folded into the more "respectable" "The Sun," and so that his attempted controlling interest in BSkyB, a British satellite TV provider, won't be scuttled.

But, British Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications director, himself a former Murdoch minion, was arrested over his involvement in the "News of the World" scandal.

There is word that Murdoch's son might be arrested. What about Murdoch himself?

Okay, this is just tabloid England we're talking about. The standard is fairly low.

But, the more important question in America is: In what ways has Murdoch broken laws here?

Okay, lying everyday on Fox News is covered by our First Amendment, because these lies are considered opinions. Yet, these lies are considered "facts" by the gullible fools who believe what they hear and see on Fox News.

When Murdoch took over the Wall Street Journal in 2007, the best and the brightest of the staff moved on to greener pastures. The WSJ lost whatever credibility it had, while maintaining the narrow-minded focus of its often-ridiculed editorial page.

The WSJ, as does most newspapers, hardly matters in the great scheme of molding public opinion.

It is Fox News, the ratings leader among cable "news" channels, that should receive relentless scrutiny by the "mainstream" media.

Fox News has been the prime instigator of dissension in America, because, afterall, conflict boosts ratings.

Murdoch has no interest in providing "fair and balanced" news. He's only interested in the kind of garbage printed by "The News of The World" or mouthed by his hired guns on Fox News.

It is time for legitimate news reporters in America to go after Murdoch the way it would go after a Richard Nixon.

The guy is scum.