NEWS: Saudi Prince Makes Fox News Change Story

Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, the fifth richest man in the world, purchased more than 5% of News Corp's stock and then boasted about how he had them change one of their news stories from "Muslim riots" to "civil riots".



More and more, every day, the information that is being handed to us across the airwaves, even 24 hours a day on some channels, is coming under ever increasing pressure from the power of money.

Add to this that FCC chairman Michael Powell, son of Colin Powell, has loosened the restrictions of media ownership in this country making it easier for those that "have the gold" to "make the rules", or in this case tell you what they think the news should be.

The sad part most of the people watch CNN or Fox News religously soaking up what's spoon fed to them. Top that off with the fact that the mainstream news, because they want to be first to release a story, no longer verifies the information or investigates the information that is given to them.

And people wonder why I dont watch mainstream news anymore.

Related News Links:
www.aim.org
www.aim.org

Well, now that is a major reason to never ever watch Faux news now isn't it?

of course, all the biggies seem to have strings these days, but such arrogance surely can't be awarded by more veiwership...

besides being highly unethical and against board rules, for which the editor that allowed the change, should be fired yesterday...

Hmmmm. You want to fire Murdoch?
The story has been reported last week here: external image

Al-Walid also criticised US media which he described as "in general ... pro-Israel." But he also accused Arabs of not being pro-active in fighting the allegedly slanted media.

He said that during last month's street protests in France, the US television network Fox -- owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in which Al-Walid himself has shares -- ran a banner saying: "Muslim riots."

"I picked up the phone and called Murdoch... (and told him) these are not Muslim riots, these are riots out of poverty," he said.

"Within 30 minutes, the title was changed from Muslim riots to civil riots."

Hey so far we are finding that the Catholic church is buying our hospitals around, Chinese are getting our land.

And now the Saudis are getting into our information highway?

It is anything in the US that belongs to the Americans anymore?

Yes, Marg......the debt will still be ours.....

And it's a pity that Murdock couldn't be fired!!

Something to keep in mind when watching the Faux, for sure!! Anyone noticed anything else getting changed or slanted in favor of this particular shareholder?

[edit on 12-12-2005 by frayed1]

Is it really any surpise that the "fair and balanced" news network actually lacks any journalistic integrity? It's pretty obvious if you actually watch Fox news, this story just adds icing to the propaganda cake.

I don't see any big deal with the change he made to the story. This is nothing new & happens all the time.

If I worked for a company & I did something that my boss or the owner wanted changed I would change it. I see no difference here. News stories are always filtered through the opinions of the writers, editors and in the end by those who write their checks.

I find it odd that noone here has even thought of civil liberties, discrimination, or political correctness.

1 - It is politically incorect to call them muslim riots because there could have been non-muslims there as well.
2 - This can thus be construde as discrimination.
3 - Since it is discrimination, it is clearly a violation of every muslim's civil liberties.

Could you immagine if FOX had reported the North Toledo Ohio riot as a BLACK RIOT just because the majorityof the people there are black????
Heck no! you would all be flameing them then!
en.wikipedia.org...

The problem is not fox, the problem is the law with it's many loopholes.
Governments and their officials should not be allowed to own stock in any source of media for this exact reason, they could influence what happened into something else.

Originally posted by outsider

If I worked for a company & I did something that my boss or the owner wanted changed I would change it.

I think it is different. When you change a thing at work, this does not go around the world ( at least I think) .

Media goes around the world and media has great power. It is known that the media is used and manipulated by all sides.

If even one like Murdoch is forced to change a story - just because a Saudi Prince from far away calls up and decides about thruth and lie, there is a message for us:

It is our responsibility - and in our own interest - to find out who has an agenda here and why.


Just some thoughts:

NYT: Saudi Prince Gives Millions to Harvard and Georgetown

Harvard University and Georgetown University each announced Monday that they had received $20 million donations from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, a Saudi businessman and member of the Saudi royal family, to finance Islamic studies. The prince was fifth on the Forbes 400 list of wealthy people this year, with a fortune of $23.7 billion.

In October 2001, then New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani returned a $10 million check from the prince after a news release quoted the prince as calling on the American government to "re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause."

Expert: Saudis have radicalized 80% of US mosques

Over 80% of mosques in the U.S. "have been radicalized by Saudi money and influence,"

For each mosque they invested in, the Saudis sent along their own imam (teacher-cleric), meaning that "the people now in control of teaching religion [to American Muslims] are extremists."

Discussing mainstream Muslim organizations in America, she noted that the Islamic Society of North America "supports the Muslim Brotherhood and the Saudi regime."

The Islamic Circle of North America "is composed of members of Jamaat e-Islami, a Pakistani Islamic radical organization similar to the Muslim Brotherhood that helped to establish the Taliban."

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) was "founded in the 1980s by pro-Hamas activists."

"Some of the leaders have even condoned suicide bombings in Israel and against American armed forces."

[edit on 13-12-2005 by Riwka]

Originally posted by Riwka


It is known that the media is used and manipulated by all sides.

That was sort of my point - I have long since considered mainstream media nothing, but a propaganda machine.

It is our responsibility - and in our own interest - to find out who has an agenda here and why.

Yes.

The CFR (Council on Foreign Relations) is the #1 perpetrator of misinformation in the U.S. and abroad today and for the last century. The CFR was founded by the business tycoons of the 1900s to control mass societies via organized mainstream media. Blame them.

Taken from the CFR website:
www.cfr.org...

The legendary convening power of CFR derives from its members, who are leaders in virtually every section of American society and represent a broad range of policy perspectives. Each year, CFR organizes more than 200 events for members in New York, Washington, and across the country, including History Maker sessions, debates, experts’ panels, conversations with world leaders and authors of new books.

The following is a list of the Board of Directors of the CFR. You will notice some EXTREMELY influential individuals listed, including individuals from news groups, federal reserve banks, foreign designates, past and existing political dignitaries (i.e. Madeleine K. Albright), and military arms contractors.

_______________________________________________________
Peter G. Peterson
Chairman; Senior Chairman and Co-Founder, The Blackstone Group

Carla A. Hills
Vice Chairman; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hills & Company

Robert E. Rubin
Vice Chairman; Director/Chairman of the Executive Committee, Citigroup, Inc.

Richard N. Haass
President
Former State Department Director of Policy Planning and lead U.S. official on Afghanistan and Northern Ireland (2001-2003), and principal Middle East advisor to President George H.W. Bush (1989-1993). Author or editor of ten books on U.S. foreign policy, including The Opportunity: America’s Moment to Alter History’s Course.

Expertise: U.S. foreign policy; international security; globalization; Asia; Middle East

Peter Ackerman
Managing Director, Rockport Capital, Inc.

Fouad Ajami
M. Khadduri Prof. of Middle Eastern Studies, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University

Madeleine K. Albright
Principal, The Albright Group LLC

Charlene Barshefsky
Senior International Partner, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

Jeffrey Bewkes
Chairman, Entertainment & Networks Group, Time Warner, Inc.

Henry S. Bienen
President, Northwestern University

Stephen W. Bosworth
Dean, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

Tom Brokaw
NBC News

Lee Cullum
Columnist, Dallas Morning News

Kenneth M. Duberstein
Chairman and CEO, The Duberstein Group, Inc.

Martin S. Feldstein
President, National Bureau of Economic Research

Richard N. Foster
Managing Partner, Foster Health Partners, LLC

Helene D. Gayle
Director, HIV, TB & Reproductive Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Maurice R. Greenberg
Chairman & CEO, C.V. Starr & Co., Inc.

Richard C. Holbrooke
Vice Chairman, Perseus LLC

Karen Elliott House
Publisher, Wall Street Journal

Michael H. Moskow
President, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Joseph S. Nye, Jr.
Distinguished Service Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Ronald L. Olson
Senior Partner, Munger Tolles and Olson LLP

Thomas R. Pickering
Senior Vice President for International Relations, The Boeing Company

David M. Rubenstein
Co-Founder and Managing Director, The Carlyle Group

Richard E. Salomon
Chairman, Mecox Ventures, Inc.

Anne-Marie Slaughter
Dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

Joan E. Spero
President, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

Laura D'Andrea Tyson
Dean, London Business School

Vin Weber
Partner, Clark & Weinstock

Fareed Zakaria
Editor, Newsweek International

Officers and Directors Emeriti:
Leslie H. Gelb (President Emeritus)
Maurice R. Greenberg (Honorary Vice Chairman)
Charles McC. Mathias, Jr. (Director Emeritus)
David Rockefeller (Honorary Chairman)
Robert A. Scalapino (Director Emeritus)
_______________________________________________________

The following excerpt might be taken from a controvercial site, but is true nonetheless. Feel free...in fact, BE PERSUADED to check out the linked site. It has a lot of interesting stuff that will show you a little of what's happening behind the curtain. If that's not good enough, look up the CFR on google! You'll find lots of fun stuff...

autarchic.tripod.com...

George [H.W.] Bush deliberately avoided the U.S. Congress and went to the United Nations for authorization to unleash American military forces against Iraq in 1991. He pointedly stated that his goal was a "new world order ... a United Nations that performs as envisioned by its founders." The UN's founders, however, included 43 current or future members of the CFR. A leader of the U.S. delegation and the secretary general of the UN's founding conference in 1945 was future CFR member and secret communist Alger Hiss.

I'm watching Hannity and Colmes right now (14 DEC). Hannity is disgusted! Disgusted! That Harvard is accepting from from a Saudi Prince! Are there strings attached, Hannity wonders? Will it influence what is taught on campus? My God! How can these people be treated seriously!