Coal Lovers and Rupert Murdoch

Mural inTottenham, Melbourne.                             Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Rupert Murdoch is best known in the US as the man who created Fox News in order to push his right wing agenda.  He got his start in his native Australia, where his “news” outlets continue to strongly support the country’s right wing coal loving government.  Of course, since burning coal is a major factor in global warming, Murdoch’s media empire needs to ensure that climate change isn’t considered as a potential cause for Australia’s current flammable state.  Murdoch’s hand picked Prime Minister, Scott Morrison [mural above], is one of the coal industry’s chief cheerleaders.

A recent segment from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation rounded up examples of the climate denial pushed by conservative pundits in the Australian media, most of whom work for outlets owned by News Corp. For example, Peter Gleeson, a commentator at Sky News Australia and a columnist at The Courier-Mail, attacked a former fire chief who connected the fires to climate change as having “joined a cult” and “been brainwashed.” Sky News Australia host Peta Credlin not only denied the role of climate change in the fires, but also claimed that “there is no doubt ... that two decades-plus of climate change activism is making them worse.” Sky News Australia host Chris Kenny called the debate about the role of climate change in the fires “dumb,” “reckless,” and “offensive.” The Herald-Sun’s Terry McCrann attacked the media outside of Murdoch’s grasp for their coverage of the bushfires and denied their connection to climate change. In a November 6 monologue, Sky’s Andrew Bolt, a habitual climate denier who once attacked 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg as “deeply disturbed” and “strange,” called the “big global warming scare” a “con.”