As the wildfires in Australia continue to scorch the land and kill animals in unprecedented numbers, Fox News and News Corporation continue to deny that climate change had anything to do with the devastation, drawing a severe rebuke from Rupert Murdoch’s own son in response.
Thus far, over 1 billion animals have perished and 25 million acres have been burned across the country, all as Australia deals with one of the driest and hottest summers on record because of climate change.
However, rather than report honestly that climate change is fueling the inferno, News Corporation and Fox News are still pretending that climate change is a hoax.
In the United States, Murdoch’s Fox News channel routinely denies climate change, but at least Americans have a wider selection of media sources to keep informed. In Australia, News Corporation dominates the media there, which means Australians are bombarded with lies about climate change constantly in newspapers, on television, and on the Internet.
These are the worst fires in Australia’s history, yet News Corporation denies the real problem of climate change, which results in millions of people continuing to ignore what it really destroying their lives and threatening our planet.
The coverage has been so outrageous that even a News Corporation staffer named Emily Townsend sent out a company-wide email condemning it.
“I have been severely impacted by the coverage of News Corp publications in relation to the fires, in particular, the misinformation campaign that has tried to divert attention away from the real issue which is climate change to rather focus on arson (including misrepresenting facts),” Townsend wrote according to The Daily Beast.
“I find it unconscionable to continue working for this company, knowing I am contributing to the spread of climate-change denial and lies,” she continued. “The reporting I have witnessed in The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, and Herald Sun is not only irresponsible, but dangerous and damaging to our communities and beautiful planet that needs us more than ever to acknowledge the destruction we have caused and start doing something about it.”
It’s not just Townsend either. Even News Corporation board member James Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch’s son, and his wife Kathryn have ripped the company’s coverage of the Australia fires.
“Kathryn and James’ views on climate are well established and their frustration with some of the News Corp and Fox coverage of the topic is also well known,” a spokesperson for the couple said in a statement. “They are particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial among the news outlets in Australia given obvious evidence to the contrary.”
And many employees agree with James.
“They are pissing inside the tent and that’s unusual,” a longtime News Corporation executive said. “It’s evidence of how high tensions are within the family over climate change. The majority of people who work here agree with James. We are hoping this may be the tipping point.”
Climate change is the primary cause of the wildfires, and scientists around the world agree. It is irresponsible for a network to spread misinformation and outright lies about a disaster. Climate change is a problem that threatens us all. The sooner we accept that, the quicker we can confront the problem and deal with it to prevent future tragedies. Because Australia won’t be the only country on fire if the world continues to get hotter.
Featured Image: YouTube screenshot
