Murdoch Opens Gathering Of CEOs At
Wall Street Journal Summit
By Nat Rudarakanchana
on November 18 2013 10:11 PM
As News Corp. (NASDAQ:NWSA) chief Rupert
Murdoch opened a summit of international CEOs in Washington, D.C., Monday
night, he cited health care, education and economic competitiveness as
challenges the U.S. must overcome.
The elderly media mogul, still a
powerhouse even as British authorities prosecute his former employees for
bribery, phone hacking and obstruction of justice, said in brief introductory
remarks that the U.S. education system is “failing us badly.”
The Australian-born Murdoch
invited the dozens of CEOs in attendance to talk openly about such problems, at
what he called a critical juncture in U.S. history. Murdoch may be one of
the most powerful present at the gathering, but leaders of heavyweights like PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE:PEP) and Fannie Mae were on hand as well.
Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief
Gerard Baker -- a Murdoch employee -- remarked earlier that fiscal
irresponsibility, privacy, and the rollout of health care reform were issues
still preying on the minds of corporate leaders, just as they were last year.
The annual council of CEOs is
expected to spend much time criticizing political dysfunction in Washington. One can
expect much handwringing as executives tackle a broad agenda which includes cybersecurity, health care and the future of capitalism.
Even as Murdoch’s empire stands
strong in North America, as evidenced by his
ability to draw top executives and President
Barack Obama for an exclusive interview on Tuesday, his media empire
elsewhere remains troubled.
News Corp. said last week in its
earnings report that it had already spent $40 million in legal costs related to
the UK
phone hacking scandal, reported its own Wall Street Journal. That comes after
$400 million spent on earlier investigations as the scandal unfolded from 2011
onward.
Murdoch also mentioned that he has
“personally very strong opinions” on immigration. In his native Australia, an
immigration debate rages, stoked most recently by an undercover New York Times
Magazine investigation. That piece documented the dangerous journey asylum
seekers must make before arriving at the country’s Christmas
Island.
Introducing his boss, WSJ editor
Baker effusively praised Murdoch as a champion of free media and debate.
“None of what we take for granted,
so much in the world, would be possible, in terms of a free media … in terms of
the quality of the debate we have, if it were not for Rupert Murdoch,” said
Baker. “Rupert has been an extraordinary figure in developing global media. He
continues to be a driving force, and holding the world to the values he holds
so dear.”
Those values include free
enterprise and competitive capitalism, which Murdoch has long championed, and
profited from. Murdoch and his family are estimated to be worth about $13.4
billion, according to Forbes.
Rebekah Brooks, a Murdoch favorite
and former boss of his British newspapers, is one of the top figures in the
phone hacking scandal in the UK,
where a trial opened in late October.
K. Rupert Murdoch
K.
Rupert Murdoch is the chairman & CEO for News Corp., and a papal
knighthood knight.
Note: papal knighthood
is an honor conferred by pope from the Roman
Catholic Church.
John J. Studzinski
is a papal knighthood knight, a
director at the Atlantic Council of the United States
(think tank), a director at the Human
Rights Watch, and was the co-head of investment banking for HSBC Holdings plc.
Herbert M.
Allison Jr. was a director at the Atlantic
Council of the United States
(think tank), and the president & CEO for Fannie Mae.
Open
Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United
States (think tank), and the Human Rights Watch.
George
Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and was a benefactor for the Human Rights Watch.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Human Rights Watch, the Brookings
Institution (think tank), and the Committee
for Economic Development.
John
L. Thornton is the chair for the Brookings
Institution (think tank), a director at HSBC Holdings plc, and was a director at News Corp.
Michael H. Jordan
was an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), and a division chairman & CEO for PepsiCo, Inc.
Arthur B.
Culvahouse Jr. is a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), and was a lobbyist for Fannie Mae.
Thomas E. Donilon was a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), the White House deputy national security adviser
for the Barack Obama administration,
a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), a lobbyist
& EVP for Fannie Mae, and a 2008
Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Larry
D. Thompson is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank),
a trustee at the Committee for Economic
Development, and the EVP of governmental affairs, general counsel &
secretary at PepsiCo, Inc.
James A. Johnson is an honorary trustee
at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a member of the American
Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, the
chairman for Fannie Mae, and a 2008 Bilderberg
conference participant (think tank).
Kenneth M.
Duberstein is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a
director at the Boeing Company, was
the VP for the Committee for Economic
Development, and a director at Fannie
Mae.
Barbara G. Fast
was a VP for the Boeing Company, and
a VP for the CGI Group Inc.
Donna
S. Morea was the EVP for the CGI
Group Inc., and a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Heather R. Higgins
is a trustee at the Committee for
Economic Development, and was an editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal.
Michael B.
Mukasey was an attorney for the Wall
Street Journal, and is an advising independent director’s on hacking
scandals for News Corp.
CGI Group Inc.
was the Obamacare contractor that
developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare
is Barack Obama’s signature policy
initiative.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Michelle
Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP.
R.
Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Newton
N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
William
M. Daley is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration, and was a director at the Boeing Company.
W. James
McNerney Jr. is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company.
Akin,
Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Boeing Company.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a senior
counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer
& Feld, LLP, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think
tankValerie B. Jarrett’s great
uncle, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank),
and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Valerie B. Jarrett
is Vernon
E. Jordan Jr’s great niece, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago,
Members Directory
Please note: This link for the
members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.
Robert S. Osborne
is a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, and the EVP &
general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
Edward Snowden was
an employee at Booz Allen Hamilton,
and leaked information about the National
Security Agency (NSA).
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