John Edwards has attacked Senator Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for accepting donations from News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) and Rupert Murdoch. Here's a sampling of his rhetoric:
"News Corp's purchase of the Dow Jones Co. and The Wall Street Journal should be the last straw when it comes to media consolidation. I'm challenging every Democratic presidential candidate to refuse contributions from News Corp executives and return any they've already taken, beginning with Rupert Murdoch."
"John Edwards will never ask Rupert Murdoch for money -- he won't accept his money."
"The basis of a strong democracy begins and ends with a strong, unbiased and fair media –- all qualities which are pretty hard to subscribe to Fox News and News Corp. It's time for all Democrats, including those running for president, to stand up and speak out against this merger and other forms of media consolidation."
But according to DealBook, "News Corporation claims that its publishing unit, HarperCollins, paid Mr. Edwards a $500,000 advance -- and $300,000 in expenses -- for his 2006 book, Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives.
Oops. Don't you hate it when you get caught?
And as for "speaking out against this merger," hasn't Mr. Edwards heard of the free market? If Rupert Murdoch wants to buy Dow Jones (NYSE: DJ), and Dow Jones wants to sell, how or why should it be blocked? It's really not an anti-trust case at all, as far as I've heard.
The only thing more hypocritical than this would be if Mr. Edwards spoke out about poverty but worked at a hedge fund for a large salary. Oh wait ...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-05-2007 @ 6:02PM
J Spindler said...
Excuse me, Somehow being paid by one of many holdings Rupert Murdoch owns (which if it keeps up will be all media)for a book that was written , of which the proceeds were donated to charity, somehow equates to Murdoch personally giving funds to Clintons political campaign in addition to throwing fundraisers for her?
You should be ashamed of the garbage you are spreading around as supposed legitimate journalism. Or are you hedging your bet with your current or future boss Mr Murdoch and Co. Americans are not as gullible as you appear to believe.
8-05-2007 @ 6:03PM
OEST said...
Well, apparently the author of this smear is 3 days too late. John Edwards did not RECEIVE any money FROM Rupert Murdoch. On the contrary, Murdoch made money OFF OF John Edwards. The money went to Habitat for Humanity, the International Rescue Committee, and college freshmen, not to John Edwards. To say that John Edwards "RECEIVED MONEY FROM" Murdoch is a lie...period. On the other hand, Murdoch's HarperCollins made money off of John Edwards' book.
8-05-2007 @ 6:44PM
OEST said...
Well, apparently the author of this smear is 3 days too late. John Edwards did not RECEIVE any money FROM Rupert Murdoch. On the contrary, Murdoch made money OFF OF John Edwards. The money went to Habitat for Humanity, the International Rescue Committee, and college freshmen, not to John Edwards. To say that John Edwards "RECEIVED MONEY FROM" Murdoch is a lie...period. On the other hand, Murdoch's HarperCollins made money off of John Edwards' book.
8-05-2007 @ 10:29PM
Jones Kay said...
Whatever you hold against Edwards personally should be kept in your closet. Debate issues and not try to demonise the people's candidate in public without cause.It is also important for the author of this article to categorically learn the difference between getting paid for work and receiving political donations.Edwards will value work and not wealth as president of the USA because his wealth has come from work.This is called hard work .If that is what you call hypocricy..then you.. the author of this article need to consult the dictionary!
Jones