Kevin Rudd’s media royal commission call attacks a keystone of democracy

Just over 500,000 people had signed a petition launched by Kevin Rudd calling for a royal commission into media ownership when it closed on Wednesday.

Although the petition is far more restrained in its language, Rudd’s video launching the petition singles out News Corporation, saying that “Murdoch has become a cancer … on our democracy.”

Rudd outlined four separate reasons for his Royal Commission call, but it largely boils down this: News Corporation has a high concentration of print ownership, this allegedly gives them / Murdoch significant political power, and that power is allegedly used against Labor and other ideological opponents.

Not only should this argument be challenged on the facts, it should be rejected…