Gleeful ghoul Murdoch’s ‘bloody outcome’ gaffe

The New Daily
Dec 16, 2014, updated Jan 04, 2015

@ReidParker_

Rupert Murdoch has marked the conclusion of the Sydney siege, in which two innocent hostages died, by congratulating his Sydney tabloid for catching the “bloody outcome’ ahead of competitors. It led to him being dubbed a “gleeful ghoul” on social media.

“AUST gets wake-call with Sydney terror,” Murdoch tweeted soon after the siege ended. “Only Daily Telegraph caught the bloody outcome at 2.00 am. Congrats.”

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Not only was Murdoch’s tweet extraordinarily insensitive, it was also wrong. Most online news outlets, including The New Daily, recorded the tragic outcome in real time and several newspapers produced special editions.

Moreover, The Daily Telegraph drew widespread criticism when an earlier special edition attributed the Martin Place siege to an Islamic State death cult.

The media tycoon’s clumsy celebration prompted an outpouring of scorn and derision on social media with at least one tweeter dubbing him a “gleeful ghoul”.

Another, former fairfax columnist Mike Carlton, wrote: “Your rotten, lying Daily Telegraph called this an IS Death Cult Attack. Shameful. You ought to hang your head.”