Chapter 934

"Of course it's a mistake! And it's a big mistake! Have you ever read the Guardian newspaper? Since they dare to say that, they obviously have substantial evidence. You should respond politely, neither servile nor overbearing, not with a condescending tone! " Murdoch said loudly into the phone. On the other side was his second son, James Murdoch. This year, with the support of his father, he became the chairman of Sky TV and was in charge of News Corporation's European and Asian businesses.

Damn it! Murdoch, who put down the phone, cursed in his heart. He wiped his face with his hand and closed his eyes. He suddenly felt a little tired. There was no doubt that this was done by AC Media. After the Guardian revealed the hacking incident at the News of the World, media outlets such as CNN reported at full speed. Although there were not many newspapers, AC Media had the advantage of the Internet. Discussions about the hacking incident could be seen everywhere on YouTube or Facebook. When they opened Google search keywords, all that appeared on the home page were reports that were unfavorable to News Corporation.

In short, there was no concealment at all. It was a completely naked expression of hostility. This was very bad! Almost everyone knew what Adriaan said that night. Now that they had the upper hand and made such a big fuss, the situation was very bad for News Corporation.

How did they know that the News of the World was hacking? Murdoch could not help but think so. One had to know that even he himself wasn't very clear about this. Could it be that … they had already found out? The old man frowned deeply. According to the information collected so far, reports of hacking began to appear one after another two weeks ago. However, the rich and powerful News Corporation had rich connections and settled them one by one with their help.

However, although those reports did not cause much impact, they left an impression on many people. Therefore, when it was a former employee of the News of the World who came forward to testify and had a lot of evidence, coupled with the Guardian, News Corporation's rival, and AC Media sparing no effort to encourage it, especially when it involved the royal family, the situation quickly escalated.

Blair had already resigned, and the current Prime Minister was Gordon Brown, who had a very mediocre relationship with News Corporation, and often appeared in public as a conservative with a liberal mind. He would definitely support the investigation, then … The more Murdoch thought about it, the tighter his brows furrowed.

Finally, he pressed the call button. "Mr. Miller? Please inform the crew immediately. I need to go to London immediately. "

The Guardian's report on the News of the World's eavesdropping on the lives of members of the royal family quickly spread throughout the UK and even throughout Europe under the deliberate push of some people. Under the supervision of the House of Commons, Scotland Yard had no choice but to start a serious investigation, and then all kinds of turbulence began. One moment, it involved many cases, and the next moment, the newspaper's senior management did not know about it, and then there was evidence that News Corporation was using its influence to exert pressure and so on.

But Murdoch believed that he could handle it. Even if AC Media added fuel to the fire, they were still too impatient. If he waited a year and waited for Brown to take full control of Downing Street, then he would face greater difficulties. But now, although Blair had resigned, his influence was still there. Coupled with News Corporation's complicated network in Britain, AC Media might have the upper hand for a while, but it would not last long.

However, what he didn't expect was that two weeks later, the News Corporation suffered a heavy blow from the United States. In August, CNN suddenly broke the news that News Corporation was suspected of eavesdropping on the phones of the victims of 9/11, which immediately attracted the attention of Americans who wanted to watch a good show. 9/11 had become a sore spot for Americans. Some people might think that the Bush administration's war in Iraq was immoral, but they absolutely supported the revenge of 9/11.

Under such circumstances, this kind of thing was exposed, and there was a certain amount of evidence. Coupled with the fact that CNN's report was biased, there was no doubt that it ignited the anger of some Americans. Immediately, there was a proposal from a member of Congress to ask the FBI to thoroughly investigate this matter. Murdoch finally began to take it seriously. Although the British side was important, it was definitely not worth it if the foundation of the United States was stolen.

Fortunately, George W. Bush was still in office. He still had the confidence to control the development of this matter. But soon, things began to develop in a direction that was out of control.

On August 4th, Bear Stearns, the fifth-largest investment bank in the United States, announced that its hedge funds would stop redemptions. In the eyes of ordinary people, this was not a big deal, but in the eyes of investors, it was a heavy blow. It was not that no one realized the possibility of the subprime mortgage crisis, but they either thought it would not happen so soon, or they ignored it for some reason.

However, when Bear Stearns announced that it would stop redemptions, everyone knew that it meant one thing. The subprime mortgage crisis had officially and completely arrived. Immediately, the European and American stock markets plunged! Then, Warren Specter, the president of Bear Stearns, announced his resignation, and many mortgage institutions declared bankruptcy one after another. Although the Federal Reserve began to inject funds to save the market, it could not prevent the crisis from continuing to expand. Two weeks later, it affected the entire European and American financial markets.

This was not a big problem for News Corporation. Although it was also affected, the stock price did not fluctuate too much under the situation of someone saving the market. After all, they were not involved in the real estate industry. Even if someone shorted News Corporation's stock after the wiretapping incident, the losses caused were still within an acceptable range. But what happened next made News Corporation suffer a big loss. In the continuous coverage of the subprime mortgage crisis, CNN suddenly released another piece of breaking news. Bernard Madoff, the chairman of Madoff Investment Securities Company, was suspected of a Ponzi scheme and had been arrested by the police. Two executives of News Corporation were also involved. The crime was that they may have used their power to help Madoff cover up the scam.

This heavy bomb made the entire United States, or rather, the entire United States financial industry, which was caught in the subprime mortgage crisis, stunned for a long time. Bernard Madoff was also a prominent figure on Wall Street. His asset management company had a stable return of 1% to 2% per month, which allowed him to get countless clients, all of whom were high-end clients. The Palm Beach Country Club that he founded was also well-known in the industry. The title of "no entry unless invited" attracted many investors.

Such a big shot was suspected of using a Ponzi scheme to deceive investors? How is this possible! But soon, more and more evidence showed that Madoff's asset management company was indeed a Ponzi scheme. So, under the guidance of some people, investors who had suffered huge losses began to become angry. News Corporation, which had a negative impression of the public because of the wiretapping of the victims of 9/11, began to be spurned by more and more people.

"You should know, Barry, this has nothing to do with us! Many people let Madoff manage their own funds. Are they also helping the scammer cover up the problem? " On the other end of the phone, Murdoch, who tried to suppress his anger and spoke in a calm tone, had an abnormally ugly expression on his face. His grip on the armrest was also abnormally tight.

In the end, he closed his eyes and slammed the microphone on the landline, making a loud snapping sound. Murdoch had never been so tired. At first, he was full of confidence. He didn't expect it to become like this after two or three months.

The two executives in charge of News Corporation's affairs in the United States did invest in Madoff, but that was a private act and had nothing to do with the group. Logically speaking, they should be the victims, and all the decent people in the investment banks were tricked by Madoff. But those guys at CNN tried their best to tie News Corporation to this shocking fraud case! What the hell!

However, no one cared about the truth. Just like what FOX News did, they could attract a lot of people just by changing the title of the same story to an exaggerated one. Then, no matter what the content was, they started to attack it according to what they wanted to see. CNN was just giving them a taste of their own medicine.

If it was any other time, it would be fine. But now, after the impact of the 911 wiretapping incident and the subprime mortgage crisis, ordinary people needed a scapegoat to vent. What made Murdoch even more afraid was that AC Media was definitely not the only one who attacked News Corporation. Various people who had participated in the suppression of AC Media had now appeared in the operation to suppress News Corporation.

The simplest example was that Madoff's matter would never have had such a big impact at other times. The damage he caused was not irreparable. It was not that no one saw through Madoff's tricks, but he started with the upper class and had little interaction with ordinary people. He had a wide network, especially since he was a Jew. Wall Street also had to care about their reputation, so it was most likely that someone would jump out to defend him. Then, the matter would be reduced to a small matter, and the matter would eventually return to the original track.

But this time, the disastrous consequences caused by the subprime mortgage crisis had aroused the anger of the people. Wall Street must have an explanation. Madoff could be put in front as a scapegoat, and then … how about adding News Corporation, which had a negative impression among Americans because of the wiretapping incident?

These bastards! These vampires who can't be fed enough! Murdoch hit the armrest again. If it was only AC Media, he was confident that he could still deal with it. But if everyone started to target News Corporation, then it would really be in danger. Not to mention …

Why did they grasp the timing so well? This question had been bothering Murdoch, and the feeling of uneasiness became stronger. Finally, he reached out to pick up the phone and reluctantly dialed a number.

"It's me, Sam. Can you … help me contact those two?" At this moment, he seemed to have aged several years again.

※ ※ ※

Under the blue sky, even though it was already winter, the vegetation outside was still extraordinarily green in the sun.

"That's why I like Los Angeles. Although there is little rain here, it's definitely a good place in winter." Adriaan, sitting at the round table, said casually with a smile.

"You can't deny that New York has its advantages." Lei Shidong added with a smile.

"That's true. At least it's good to walk on the drizzling streets of Manhattan in the summer." Claude came over with a golf club, followed by Jeffrey Bix, the president and CEO of Time Warner.

"What do you think, Rupert?" Lei Shidong turned to Murdoch with a smile.

"Every place is different and worthy of nostalgia." Modoc smiled. Lei Shidong couldn't help but shake his head imperceptibly.

This situation had been going on for some time. Although he had pulled the strings and both sides had agreed to sit down and talk, they had not talked about relevant topics until now, even though he had deliberately pulled Jeffrey Bix of Time Warner and Robert Iger of Disneyland to accompany him. Of course, he understood that Murdoch had been in the media industry for decades, and it was difficult for him to accept the fact that he had been forced to this position by two younger generations. Taking the initiative to ask for peace was already a sign of weakness. If he could, he certainly did not want to speak first.

As for Adriaan and Claude, as rising stars, they were young and arrogant. They had been schemed against by Murdoch a few months ago, and now that he was finally forced to this place, they were naturally more willing to negotiate with Murdoch as the victor. Speaking first was definitely not their first choice.

This was very bad. Sooner or later, Murdoch would speak. After all, he was the one who proposed the peace talks. But at that time, this peace talk would be very difficult. As the oldest media mogul present, Lei Shidong did not want to see such a situation. After all, in the end, the people on Wall Street were the most worthy of caution.

Fortunately, the two young people from AC Media were not people who did not understand the overall situation. Soon, Adriaan began to lead the topic of the subprime crisis. "Obviously, everyone has a hunch, but we can't be sure when it will happen. After all, no one can stop the flow of capital, just like you can't stop people from eating and drinking."

As he spoke, he looked at Murdoch with an indescribable smile. "For capital to flow, there will inevitably be transactions, but transactions are not limited to capital or money. This is a very special word. In a sense, it can be regarded as the founding principle of the United States. Transactions can make criminals who should be sentenced to death only need to stay in prison for decades. Transactions can make big drug lords not need to serve long sentences. Transactions can make the police turn a blind eye to the small crimes of billionaires. Transactions can make members of Congress rise to the throne of the president. Transactions can make the president boldly violate the law … Here, there is nothing that cannot be traded, as long as you have enough chips. "

His unhurried words echoed in the ears of several people. Although they were not very pleasant to hear, they were all true. Which of the people present had not walked in the gray area and made deals with the government?

"Thought-Provoking words," Murdoch finally said. "No wonder you have such a great influence in Hollywood. Now some people even call you … the King of Hollywood."

Although he tried to use a relaxed tone to make it seem like he was joking, the effect was not very good.

However, Adriaan did not care. He still had a smile on his face. "You misunderstand, Rupert. I admit that it has played a lot of role, but most of it is because I have relied on my own efforts, just like AC Media."

Murdoch was silent. Although his words seemed to be praising Adriaan, the actual meaning was: Don't you want to become the most powerful spokesperson in Hollywood? I can help to give it another push.

But Adriaan's answer was: No need. He now had influence in Hollywood that no one else could have. He was only one step away from the top. He could go up without help. At the same time, he also vaguely indicated that he could not use compensation for the financing that had been disrupted by Murdoch's intervention as a breakthrough. In terms of the current financial environment, AC Media's financing would have a little impact, but it was not a big problem, so they would not consider it for the time being.

"So, tell me, what do you want?" Murdoch was suddenly tired of this way of talking in riddles. Anyway, the other party had more or less released their goodwill.

Adriaan and Claude looked at each other, and then Claude said, "We don't want too much. We can ignore everything you have done, and we can also help News Corporation deal with the wiretapping incident — the impact of this incident is much greater than you think, Rupert. We can even help News Corporation stabilize the situation and continue, and deal with Wall Street and the White House together. You know, those greedy guys have always wanted to control us. We only have one request. "

"We want you to resign, Rupert." Adriaan threw out the answer. Murdoch's eyebrows involuntarily raised, and his expression became a little ugly.

"Don't worry, you can keep your position as an independent director on the board of directors, or simply consult for News Corporation as a consultant. The person sitting in that position can also be a member of the Murdoch family. You can continue to command behind the scenes. You don't even need to resign now. You can step down for health reasons after these things have come to an end. We can exchange for each other's trust through cross-shareholding. At the same time, we can ensure that the person you want, who will listen to you, will ascend to that position, "Claude continued.

"This is our only request. You must give us an explanation," Adriaan added.

Murdoch's face was a little red at first, and then it became uncertain. Several others involuntarily gasped, and at the same time, their expressions became subtle. This proposal seemed to be very beneficial to News Corporation, but what was hidden behind it made it difficult for them to choose.

The two of them looked at each other and smiled. This was an open conspiracy.