Categories: OLD Media Moves

"Today" story about Murdoch forget to mention competition

A profile of News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch on the “Today” show by CNBC’s Erin Burnett conveniently forgot to mention that CNBC will soon be competing against Murdoch’s Fox Business Network, writes TV Week.

CNBC TV Week noted, “But there was no mention of the fact that CNBC will be confronted with its first direct competition for business news audiences from the Fox Business Network, which News Corp. plans to launch, or that MSNBC runs a distant third to Fox News Channel, or that News Corp. and NBCU are collaborating on a TV-and-movie distribution Web site, for that matter.

“That absence was a glaring one, particularly given the extremes to which NBC News is going to showcase CNBC stars almost daily on ‘Today’ and other NBCU platforms. In addition to Ms. Burnett, CNBC’s biggest star, Maria Bartiromo, also was spotlighted Tuesday in a live exchange about the volatile stock market during the first news wrap-up on ‘Today.’

“Asked about the omission of even a casual caveat that Mr. Murdoch poses a new business threat to NBCU, a ‘Today’ spokeswoman replied: ‘This was a piece about Murdoch the person, not an in-depth look at his specific businesses.'”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.