Murdoch's pie incident; reaction

APPEARANCE LENDS TO POSITIVE OUTCOME: Despite increased anxiety over the Murdochs' appearance in front of a select committee on Tuesday, reports the New York Times, the overwhelming sentiment among analysts and commentators, and indeed within the company itself, is that the appearance caught the company 'a break' in what has been a damaging series of revelations. " And after Mr. Murdoch and his son James concluded two hours of often tense testimony to a House of Commons committee, there was little of the widespread scorn that has greeted almost everything the Murdochs have said and done in the more than two weeks since the most recent voice mail hacking scandal at News Corporation’s British newspaper operation erupted." Mr Murdoch, in a now well-circulated comment, said that the appearance marked "the most humble day of my life."

HUMBLE PIE: Coverage is mostly sympathetic over the Murdoch pie incident. Alana Goodman writes: "Murdoch’s opponents were hoping to embarrass him. Instead, they ended up looking petty and politically-motivated – which is probably the best outcome News Corp. could have hoped for."




Mostly, I agree with James Wolcott, who concluded: "I hate these prankster pie-ings and glitter bombings--they're symbolic assassinations, nastily juvenile and intended to humiliate. Not even loathed figures should have strangers lunging at them. The activist-assailant's name is Johnny Marbles, who showed remarkable courage in attacking an 80 year old man. (That's sarcasm, for those who may be tone-deaf.)" The Guardian's liveblog has some interesting stuff on the matter (as well as some coverage of the non-pie-related portion of the hearing.