Bob Dilenschneider and Fox and Friends Fail At Spinning News Corp Hacking Scandal

Rupert Murdoch’s multinational media behemoth News Corp. is under intense scrutiny for a hacking scandal perpetrated by one of its newspaper properties. The weekly tabloid, News of the World hacked into the cellphone voicemail of a 13-year-old missing girl. The incident is almost ten years old as the girl went missing in 2002 and her body found about 6 months later.

Why is this all coming back now? The case was finally resolved as the girl’s murderer was found guilty and convicted two weeks ago. With the ending of the case more details came to light regarding the hacking.

But it is now back in the headlines with revelations that reporters not only listened to the teenager’s voicemail, but deleted voicemail messages — leading her parents to believe she was still alive and potentially obstructing the police investigation into her disappearance.

– ABC News

Read that quote again before continuing.

The paper, News of the World, that employed the reporters that took part in this has since been shut down by News Corp. Murdoch has taking out a full-page in the UK to apologize and assert his willingness to cooperate with ongoing police investigations.

Does “We Are Sorry” cut it? PR heavyweight, Bob Dilenschneider and Murdoch owned Fox News program Fox and Friends seemed to think so. Dilenschneider took to the program and actually tried to misdirect the focus from News Corp. to Hacking.

Yes he actually says that the problem we should focus on is hacking and pointed out several major hacking victims. This is called sleight of hand or misdirection but David Copperfield he is not. Remember he is a PR guy and spin is what he does although in this case not well at all. This is a fail at best.

When the Pentagon and the others mentioned were hacked, they were the victims. It was done to them. In this case the News Corp. entity was the hacker. Bob would not like us to see that difference and he’s tired of people pointing it out. Apparently Murdoch is too as this attempt to let his company off the hook was done on his own news outlet.

This pedestrian effort is the best spin that the owner of The Dilenschneider Group and former owner of the largest PR firm in country could come up with? 5 year old’s spin more believable tales than this.

The issue is even bigger now that the FBI is investigating News Corp. over allegations of phone hacking of 9/11 victims as well.

At the urging of several members of Congress, the FBI has begun investigating whether victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and their families were subject to phone hacking from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp

But that was over 10 years ago too right Bob?

He obviously couldn’t have done this interview with Bill O’reilly because that’s a no spin zone.

News media has overstepped its boundaries and invaded privacy for far too long. This is not journalism.

Additional:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/15/fox-and-friends-defends-n_n_899934.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/14/fbi-news-corp-investigation_n_898653.html
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/07/16/general-broadcasting-amp-entertainment-eu-britain-phone-hacking_8568880.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0714/FBI-to-investigate-Rupert-Murdoch-s-News-Corp.-Did-it-hack-9-11-victims
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/07/16/uk-government-defends-news-corp-ties-as-scandal-spirals/
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/news-world-phone-hacking-tabloid-newspaper-accused-deleting/story?id=14000981

Jaylon Carter

Jaylon Carter is a blogger, social media marketing consultant, former Congressional Campaign Media & Communications Director, national labor union vice block leader, and a Hip Hop artist who performs under the stage name Timid (@timidmc).