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News Corp.'s diversity council

June 10, 2009 4:40 pm ET by Karl Frisch

Well, they sure will be busy.

Via the Associated Press:

News Corp. has agreed to form an external diversity council after meeting with civil rights groups about a New York Post cartoon that critics said likened President Barack Obama to a dead chimpanzee.

The company will form a "diversity community council" in New York City that will meet with senior company executives twice a year, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said Wednesday. It also will include a statement of commitment to diversity in its annual report.

So, this is a council for ALL of News Corp., and it will be meeting twice a year. Even if Fox News (owned by News Corp.) alone had daily meetings, I'm not sure it would result in much of an improvement.

After all, Rupert Murdoch launched the News Corp. green initiative two years ago, and Fox News personalities still have trouble accepting the reality of climate change science.

I'm happy the NAACP and other civil rights leaders have brought about some form of change at News Corp. It remains to be seen, though, if News Corp.'s commitment on the issue is anything more than another PR stunt.

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    • Author by seeryer (June 10, 2009 4:59 pm ET)
         
      Will this "diversity community council" be mocked and demeaned by News Corp owned media as being nothing more than a PC Police infraction? I say Fox News will not even cover it.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by ForTheLoveOfEllipsis... (June 10, 2009 5:11 pm ET)
         
      I know it was a typo, Karl, but don't'cha know that Rupert probably will crop his diversity panel--crop out anyone who might suggest that News Corp. has a problem with rampant racist bigotry, that is...
      Report Abuse
      • Author by ForTheLoveOfEllipsis... (June 11, 2009 12:04 am ET)
           
        I liked it better with the typo, Karl... :o)
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    • Author by Dem02020 (June 10, 2009 10:10 pm ET)
      1  

      I just finished reading up a little on the war in Europe, and seeing this thing here about a "diversity council", it reminds me of appeasement... it reminds me of the Munich Pact.

      I know, that's an extreme comparison, it's not the same thing, but the only reason it occurred to me was because of what I was reading... and it is true, that it's pitiful to make nice and to compromise with, people who hate your guts and don't care whether you live or suffer or die.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by mattcable250650 (June 10, 2009 10:49 pm ET)
         
      Ya know, if Fox News really wanted to improve their news-disseminating performance, they might follow Jane Hamsher's suggestion of inviting David Neiwert onto their channel to explain the shooting at the Holocaust Museum. He does, after all, have the whole field of American extremists pretty much all to himself.
      Report Abuse

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  • County Fair is a media blog featuring links to progressive media criticism from around the Web as well as original commentary, breaking news and rapid response updates to major media events from Media Matters senior fellows and other staff.