| Murdoch Press and Media Prima Posted: 30 May 2012 04:05 PM PDT Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told the Leveson Inquiry that it was unhealthy that certain parts of the media used newspapers as 'instruments of political power'. "I'm just being open about that and open about the fact that, frankly, I decided as a political leader that I was going to manage that and not confront it..."Politicians will often interact with them closely. Disentangling what is inevitable from what is wrong is a profound challenge." He went on: "My argument would be that the unhealthy nature of this relationship is not the product of an individual but of a culture. It is the draining of the poison of that culture that is the real challenge, a challenge deepened by the arrival of the social media and one not at all confined to the UK. "I cannot believe we were the first and only Government which has wanted to put the best possible gloss on what you were doing," Blair, Prime Minister between 1997 and 2007, told inquiry chairman Lord Justice Leveson. "That is a completely different thing from saying you should go out and say things that are untrue or bully and harass journalists. I read a lot of things we are supposed to have done and I dispute them."
The Labour leader between 1994 and 2007, said the 1992 general election, which Labour lost, was 'etched' on his memory, criticising the genre of journalism 'where because this line between news and comment gets blurred, it stopped being journalism, it's an instrument of political power and propaganda'.
Blair has told a press ethics inquiry he made no apologies for courting Rupert Murdoch's newspapers.
In his evidence, Blair, who is godfather to one of Rupert Murdoch's children, was asked about his close relationship with the media baron, whose tabloid The Sun, Britain's top-selling newspaper, gave him its backing.
Blair said he had made a strategic decision not to take on the power of the press during his time in office, adding that he had taken care to court the press because, if media groups had turned against him, it would have been a "huge and sustained attack".
Blogger's note: It reminds me much of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's era when the media, notably the new media namely blogs and news portals were 'responsible' in shortening his tenure as a prime minister.
Their attacks on his 'Level 4' personnel were devastating enough to be countered by the government's 'official newspapers and TV stations' such as the Media Prima group, Utusan and Bernama. And the group of bloggers and news portal owners are still claiming the credit in making such a 'contribution'.
However, under Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the presence of the media power is increasingly felt. In fact, it takes a different turn when media barons engaged as advisers to the government are not only getting special treatment but also awarded with certain projects.
A minister and three senior government officials whom I had coffee with in KL a few days ago agreed that Media Prima and its representative at the PM Office are 'deeply involved' in some decision-makings.
"How could one be given so many projects and even influences the inner circle as to whom should this and that project be awarded? They put politics above all and this is bad to their business should the government changes regime after the next general election..."
Well... I believe they realise that!
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