An open letter to Rupert Murdoch from a News Corp journalist’s car
Regular readers of The Australian won’t fail to have noticed Australia’s best national broadsheet is celebrating its 50th anniversary tomorrow, and to kick off festivities its founder, and News Corp boss, Rupert Murdoch is in town.
There’s a big bash tomorrow night which will see VIPs from the Prime Minister down gather to celebrate the colourful life of the national broadsheet.
However, Dr Mumbo’s spies tell him that not everyone at News is celebrating…
Indeed one brave journalist has even gone as far as penning an open letter to Rupert demanding improved salary conditions and then posting that in the windscreen of their car which as of 7.30am today was parked at the entrance of the company’s News Corp headquarters.
The letter cites Murdoch’s decades long commitment to journalism before going on to complain about “your managers are insisting on imposing a pay cut in real terms and that we give up various allowances and conditions.”
In the rear windscreen there was another letter from the ageing car itself which reads: “Yes I know! I should be retired. But my owner is a journalist at News Corp. They want to cut his pay in real terms and slash his conditions. So he can’t afford to replace me, and I have to work until I drop. Liberty.”
There were also posters in the car from the union that represents journalists the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, although Dr Mumbo’s sources say the protest was not authorised by them.
Dr Mumbo assumes the aim of the person behind the stunt was to get the personal attention of the 83-year-old media mogul…
A spokesman for News declined to comment on the contents of the letter, which included a list of some of the company’s large recent outlays and profits.
handwriting is terrible, maybe another profession?
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It’s Chris Kenny’s car, see the leash in the back
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If you’re not getting paid well, I’d say you’re getting paid what your version of journalism deserves
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“Murdoch’s decades long commitment to journalism”….. Clearly this person needs help more than they need a pay rise. If Rupert is truly committed to journalism he would stop printing the Telegraph.
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I’d wager the chances of the car still being parked right outside when Rupert arrives are less than zero.
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Journalism and News Ltd in the same sentence? Yeah, right.
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I hope they put plenty of money in the meter, I’ve found parking cops around Surry Hills are relentless!
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Obviously, this is someone that’s immensely frustrated at a culture of pay cuts for the base workers/journos who is most likely trying to juggle supporting a family with the increased demands of an employer that insists you do more for less.
Instead of making cheap shots at News Corp’s standard of journalism, maybe think about the person who is desperate enough to hand-write a letter and tape it to the inside of his car?
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Agree with smarty pants. Desperate tactics for desperate times. If you are are a journo and lucky enough to have a full time job you have to increasingly do more for less.
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Right on SP! Power to the person!
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“50th Annivesary”? Has to be a journo – clearly didn’t get the headline subbed.
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If the person doesn’t like the workplace conditions, they are always free to leave the company.
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Hey Anonymous that’s why we have negotiation and regulations around working conditions so employees don’t get done over by people who sound like you. We all need fair pay and conditions for a fair day’s work.
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Anonymous – if the government gets their own way and gets rid of penalty rates and minimum wages…how much an hour are you willing to work for? I assure you that there is always someone out there willing to work for less. Instead of standing up for our own rights we complain behind closed doors, which gets us nowhere. why? Because we feel powerless in today’s society. This person is taking a stand, you know like we used to.
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Objection —- ‘ Australias best know national broadsheet.”
Should read.-
Australias best know national broadshite.”
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Great call there frank. Keep those pearlers coming.
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@Anonymous : stay that way.
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Mostly idiotic comments, made by mostly idiotic people, on what appears to be a woe-is-me journo, who probably earns more than the average Aussie in private enterprise would ever dream about.
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You get what you pay for, which probably explains the calibre of so-called ‘journalism’ at News Corp these days.
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