VALE BILL O’REILLY AND RUPERT MURDOCH 20th April 2017 - by Dorothy Button

Roger Ailes

Rupert Murdoch’s media empire has insulted the western world for fifty years with a relentless stream of base sexism. However, I have the feeling that the end of this grubby exploitation is nigh.

A while back the grotesque Roger Ailes, a close executive colleague of Rupert, was finally nailed for awful behaviour toward female colleagues. He had been protected by Rupert for years. FIRED.  GONE. SHAMED.

However, no major change of corporate culture has been detected. Business as usual without the blubbering Ailes.
Then recently a strange thing happened. 

Major advertisers fled when they discovered that Murdoch had paid out thirteen million bucks as hush money to protect Bill O’Reilly, that loud mouthed creep of the O’Reilly Report, the so called flagship of Fox News.

O’Reilly has been groping and haranguing women colleagues for years and has continued to get away with it because Rupert has just kept paying. Megyn Kelly left Fox, partly because she couldn’t stand the harassment from O’Reilly.  This was a considerable blow to Fox. She was very successful. Gone to NBC.  ​

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Bill O'Reilly

Now O’Reilly is on “Italian vacation” HE HAS BEEN FIRED.

His general hardline racist, sexist, nationalistic preaching and colourful untruths, have been his style for two decades. 

Rupert has always surrounded himself with alpha male, macho, chest beating blokes. Even though he is a slightly fey figure, he has used raw, masculine, forceful personas who exude “tough” man power for fifty years. Very few women executives and lots of testosterone.

Enter James and Lachlan. They, according to reports, have said to dad – no more O’Reilly. Enough. 

What prompted this rebellion God only knows!! Advertisers fleeing I would suggest – but maybe a little more also.
The era of Rupert, at 85 or so, may well be at an end. He has exploited long enough. The sons have realised (der) that obscenity, sexual predatory behaviour and insults are not acceptable to the sensibility of Fox viewers. 

O’Reilly’s reported replacement is Tucker Carlson, a soft, flabby, boyish 50 year old, with a vacant expression and the style of questioning of a teenager. He is suitably dim and parochial but will fit well with the bereft audience.

He will be inoffensive because he is not a sexist predator. Fox may or may not regain advertisers. 

Rupert has extended and promoted his version of sexual inequality for far too long.  His company will still promote other social divisions such as racism, but this is a significant moment with the removal of one of the last great bully boys ranked as a leader (by O’Reilly himself) in US media. 

Change happens in an interesting way usually triggered by an inconsequential moment.

Murdoch’s sons could be the catalysts this time. But maybe it was just one more woman too many, reporting that O’Reilly’s insignificant member was being fondled in a phone call to her. She brought charges against him. 

The doyen of the sexual bully set is exiting right. The dirty digger is getting a pounding in the Big Apple.

We should breathe a sigh of relief. He has sullied Australia’s name and has exploited gross sexism worldwide for far too long. 
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Elizabeth’s little boy Rupert has finally done his dash.

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