The media baron Rupert Murdoch has clarified and pledged that Sky News will remain independent. He said he will not interfere in editorial decision-making at Sky News but added that he will not guarantee funding the service for more than five years.
As a matter of fact, 21st Century Fox seeks clearance for its £11.7bn takeover of Sky. The Competition and Markets Authority said in its provisional findings in January that Murdoch’s bid raised media plurality concerns. The Murdoch family trust controls Fox and News Corp, publisher of the Sun and the Times.
Fox has also pledged that no Fox employee or board member who was a trustee or beneficiary of the Murdoch family trust “will influence or attempt to influence the editorial choices made by the head of Sky News”.
When the Murdoch tried to buy Sky in 2011 a 10-year funding guarantee was accepted by the then minister in charge, Jeremy Hunt, as part of a package of guarantees strong enough to allay media plurality issues.
Fox said: “The provisional findings contain a number of material legal and factual errors. The aggregate effect of these errors is that the provisional findings do not provide a reasonable basis on which to conclude that the transaction may be expected to operate against the public interest in respect of the media plurality.”
Fox has also pledged that no Fox employee or board member who was a trustee or beneficiary of the Murdoch family trust “will influence or attempt to influence the editorial choices made by the head of Sky News”.
When the Murdoch tried to buy Sky in 2011 a 10-year funding guarantee was accepted by the then minister in charge, Jeremy Hunt, as part of a package of guarantees strong enough to allay media plurality issues.
Fox said: “The provisional findings contain a number of material legal and factual errors. The aggregate effect of these errors is that the provisional findings do not provide a reasonable basis on which to conclude that the transaction may be expected to operate against the public interest in respect of the media plurality.”
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