GOP Rep. Issa Indicates Openess to Probing Saudi Stake in Fox News

"I am most concerned about ownership of companies including broadcast companies by countries that may have another agenda."

February 23, 2010 at 3:46 pm - Think Progress
Dateline: Washington, DC
H2K   February 23rd, 2010 - 2:54 pm

If true, there needs to be a way to encourage the Saudi’s to divest from any US news organization – even Fox. Sorry, I’m a free market person most of the time….

Webster   February 23rd, 2010 - 3:06 pm

Simple folks. Saudi’s in favor of anything that is favorable for oil. This relationship is infinitely less disconcerting to me than NBC and Obama’s nepotistic intertwine ala GE/ Jeffy Immelt

shredder   February 23rd, 2010 - 3:18 pm

Then let’s start with PBS.

Peace Sister   February 23rd, 2010 - 3:46 pm

Here are some actual numbers. Compare the Murdoch family’s numbers to the Saudi guy’s percentage.

* In August 2005 the Murdoch family owned only about 29% of the company. However, nearly all of these shares were voting shares, and Rupert Murdoch retained effective control of the company. Nonetheless, John Malone of Liberty Media had built up a large stake, with about half of the shares being voting shares. Therefore, in November 2006, News Corporation announced its intention to transfer its 38.5 per cent managing interest in DirecTV Group to John Malone’s Liberty Media; in return it bought back Liberty’s 16.3% shares in News Corp., giving Murdoch tighter control of the latter firm.[18] Murdoch sold 17.5 million class A shares in December 2007.[19]

* Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, through his Kingdom Holding Company, owns 7% of News Corp.’s shares, making Kingdom Holdings the second largest shareholder.

(From Wikipedia)

Peace Sister   February 23rd, 2010 - 3:47 pm

If you don’t want foreign ownership of American companies, put your money where your mouth is and buy up the shares.

bitterweed   February 23rd, 2010 - 4:23 pm

I’d be as concerned about how much that Saudi ‘prince’ owns of Citigroup..or whatever it’s called now? And GE, and ..you get the idea..

Rexter   February 23rd, 2010 - 4:30 pm

Yeah, they aren’t towing the AIPAC line 100% of the time, only 99.9999% of the time! It must be the Saudi’s!

middleclass   February 23rd, 2010 - 4:52 pm

Right on Issa…headline is misleading, this is the same group that got Chaffetz sounding like he was a 911 truther….they are out to get sound bites to make conservatives look like right wing extremists. I was impressed with the was Mr. Issa stood his ground, we need more like him!!!!

kmichaels   February 23rd, 2010 - 4:58 pm

It makes no sense for radical muslims to want to support the one TV news station that says we should fight radical muslim tooth and nail. Ya get it yet?

briany   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:01 pm

I don’t get this either, unless he is a RINO!!!

kmichaels   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:03 pm

What explains best why any country, including SA would want to invest in Fox news, is that the economic history of Fox news is for them to make more money for those that invest in them, than any other news station. That, my dear sirs, is simple economic logic. It does not need to decide if Oil is why or terrorism is why, when money is the main reason anyone invests in anything. And Fox is obviously a good economic investment to be making.

john   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:07 pm

No one is immune. Viacom owned 33% by goldman sachs — and viacom owns CBS.

Disney owns ABC and marvel comics (anti-tea party).

GE owns NBC.

we’re gonna needs more tea.

.

mojo   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:09 pm

This could open up some interesting discussion regarding other shareholders of CBS and NBC and ABC. Who owns major holdings of the parent companies? Outside influence is possible — indeed seems likely given what they do.

.

mojo   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:12 pm

NEWS FLASH — ABC TO CUT FORCE 20%

Wow, Drudge just reported that ABC will cut back 20%, and re-organize work force and how they get the news due to lack of advertisers. Great news! We’re winning, timely.

.

JD Mix   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:19 pm

BIG PROBLEM HERE: FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, & FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION ARE ALL RIGHTS GUARANTEED BY THE CONSTITUTION. Many commenters rightly point out that MANY U.S. corporations, including those revered and supported by Democrats, have foreign investors of all stripes.

This interviewer is WAAAAY out of bounds even implying that there is ANY element of ‘control’ by the Prince over Fox. The truth of the matter is simple: Fox is one of the few solid and growing corporations in America and therefor one of the best investments on the market today.

I’ll bet if we look at the investment history of, say, the New York Times, Time Warner, and any or all of the mainstream media outlets, we would see quite the laundry list of so-called ‘questionable’ influential investors.

EARTH TO JOHN   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:21 pm

GE owns NBC.

we’re gonna needs more tea.

NO THEY DON’T THEY SOLD IT TO COMCAST

temple62   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:28 pm

Certainly all news agencies should be investigated as should the American government. Our days are filled with lies coming from the administration who looks straight at the camera’s when doing so. Let’s show some concern and get some resolution on these issues first. When are the Democrats and Republican going to get fed up with the lying do-nothing congress and administration?

tango   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:44 pm

The same saudis who fund muslim schools to teach allah is great and america is the devil? GREAT!

G-man   February 23rd, 2010 - 5:55 pm

the State runned media’s PBS NBC ABC CBS CNN PMSNBC for sale cheap ask Obama For a package deal

Bill Clinton   February 23rd, 2010 - 6:56 pm

Fox News is the ONLY new organization attacking muslin and terrorists. They should look at nbc, cbs,cnn msnbc and abc for treason against America

jujubee   February 23rd, 2010 - 6:57 pm

It’s not like islam has been secret about it’s desire and written plan in the koran to dominate the world.

However, it’s painfully hidden to a handful of nuts like rexter, terry, etc.

fastfacts   February 23rd, 2010 - 7:00 pm

I would be concerned in middle eastern influence in our companies and also our politicians. Politicians such as the Clintons, Obama, etc. They have a high donation rating with the Democrats. Though they are from other countries their money has been tracked into their pockets at every election. Also after Clinton left the oval office he started to do multi million dollar speeches in Saudi Arabia. This is a well known fact. Could they be feeding him to influence his wife. Interesting how both sides are in this type of business.

SOURCE: http://www.americanparchment.com

testicular man   February 23rd, 2010 - 7:01 pm

Why don’t they investigate George Soros influence on the American Media?

nick o'jones   February 23rd, 2010 - 7:03 pm

And this story from a reporter from ThinkProgress.com… Hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa…

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM   February 23rd, 2010 - 7:11 pm

We’ve wondered about this connection, too, and were puzzled over why Saudis would have a “stake” in the very network that is causing SO MUCH DISCOMFORT for the current administration?!?!?

Hmmmm….

Terry   February 23rd, 2010 - 7:22 pm

PLEASE let us discuss who disproportionately controls the media! Let us please broach this topic!

piper   February 23rd, 2010 - 7:24 pm

Unless this is true..http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=33772

laslavic   February 23rd, 2010 - 8:34 pm

Why not look into Turner’s investors as well or how about which foreign entities have NBC stock or hey how about the far larger share of the New York Times Company owned by that Mexican billionaire You know, the publisher of the Stinky “Old Grey lady” The New York Times, The Boston Globe and the International Herald Tribune, along with about 20 other regional newspapers in the United States. They also own several television station in NYC. I guessing that the leftists, liberal, progressive democrat ideologues really only care about Murdoch and Fox and will have all kinds of great reasons to only attack Fox with their media soldiers like this shaky voiced crank on the above video. While all this investigating of Fox is going on maybe we should take another look at the politics of NPR and all the Public TV stations the other half of us are forced to fund….The blade cuts both ways. For once I’d like to see a Republican politician go on the offensive with these partisan reporters instead of equivocating and trying to look oh so reasonable.

father_moray   February 23rd, 2010 - 9:25 pm

sic em… death to jihad.

huckle   February 23rd, 2010 - 9:26 pm

Anything these hit groups can do to distract and make Fox defend itself is good for them. Once again, they don’t want you to look behind them curtain to see who is pulling their strings. They are usually even more guilty of what they accuse others of.

roger   February 23rd, 2010 - 9:46 pm

To all the right leaning people in America… better keep your eyes on this one. Who knows what deals have been made to the Chi-coms/Saudis et al. to keep purchasing our debt.

dragonfly 55   February 23rd, 2010 - 9:49 pm

Islam has wormed its way into every element of our American life–in the government agencies, the intelligence community, the military; education at all levels indoctrinating our young and maintaining mosques some of which could be arsenals but verboten to the FBI to search. Their fake religion is no more than a death cult–submit or die. If you think FOX will be able to give any honest reports of Islamic terrorists here or abroad just wait & see. They already have their walking papers. Go ahead and laugh, dhimmi.

demdicks   February 23rd, 2010 - 10:53 pm

That would be a brilliant covert move by the Saudis, think of it. The only news station that calls islamic terrorism exactly that, are actually owned and operated by wahabbis. Brilliant, you idiots.

CommonSense   February 23rd, 2010 - 11:41 pm

When they look into George Soros then maybe……until then mind your own business Political HACKS!

claspur   February 24th, 2010 - 5:39 am

When O’Really said to Ibrahim Hooper(CAIR) what a fine citizen He was, on The Factor, O’Really got discontinued in this house.
Last week when news broke about the Saudi Prince owning the second highest controlling stock at FOX, that channel got blocked on the TV here.

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