One wonders if, in the midst of all his troubles, Rupert Murdoch has been kicking back in his London apartment, grabbing a beer and watching The Simpsons this evening. No doubt by sheer coincidence, Sky One has been showing an episode called Fraudcast News, in which the elderly heartless tycoon Montgomery Burns ('gentlemen, to crime!') establishes a media monopoly to strike back at his enemies. In the episode, reports of Monty Burns' death are 'greatly exaggerated' and when obituaries tell the truth about him, he starts buying up the media in order to brainwash Springfield. 
Commentators in the past have likened the Australian-American media mogul - who, of course, has actually appeared in The Simpsons twice as himself - to a kind of real-life Mr Burns. He has his own Smithers, he's cruel and mean and ruthless and, whenever anybody gets on the wrong side of him he orders somebody to 'release the hounds.' As a portrait of power unfettered, The Simpsons' character is as much cartoon villain as the show's real-life owner, according to one of the long-running cartoon's writers, though many have scratched their heads that Murdoch ever allowed this left-of-centre show to be made by FOX. And least we forget, when Murdoch himself appeared on the programme, he introduced himself as follows: 'I'm Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire tyrant!' Sadly, that was true....article in full at Keith's blog
http://keithtopping.blogspot.com/2011/07/they-cant-hurt-you-now.html
http://keithtopping.blogspot.com/2011/07/they-cant-hurt-you-now.html
