The prime minister has enjoyed good relations with News Corp executives in his political career, especially for a figure from the left of the Labor Party. Sydney’s Daily Telegraph ran a famous “SAVE OUR ALBO” front page when his seat was being targeted by the Greens.
The prime minister made the criticisms on Monday after having a “long chat” with Murdoch last week at an exclusive Christmas party hosted at the Sydney mansion of Rupert’s son, Lachlan, an event Dutton also attended.
The Australian in particular has run hard on the issue of antisemitism and lambasted Albanese for his role in countering the targeting of Jewish Australians. The Coalition has also campaigned strongly against Labor’s diplomatic shift away from Israel during its military operation in Gaza.
Labor has privately grumbled about News Corp’s lack of scrutiny on Dutton’s fumbles – such as backdowns on migration and tax cuts – and its positive coverage of contentious Coalition policies such as nuclear power.
Sydney’s Daily Telegraph has in recent months referred to Albanese in front-page headlines as being “MISSING IN ACTION” and a “PERKING CLASS MAN”, while this week The Australian has had headlines included a polling story describing a “Low blow for Albo’s weak leadership” and “Albanese’s backhander for Jews” after he played tennis the day after last week’s synagogue fire in Melbourne.
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Many of the stories and themes on which News Corp has reported were also covered by this masthead and others, but Labor sources say the intensity of the Murdoch papers’ criticism of the government’s agenda and the prime minister’s character has been more fierce.
A public debate over US ambassador Kevin Rudd’s years-old attacks on Donald Trump, and whether the remarks rendered Rudd – himself a critic of Murdoch – unfit to continue in his role, was labelled by former spy chief Denis Richardson as a “self-licking ice-cream” created by Sky News.
News Corp was contacted for comment.
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