In my biography of Rupert Murdoch, I referred to News Corporation as Mafia-like, provoking the annoyance of my publishers libel lawyers. I explained to them that I did not mean to suggest this was an organized crime family, but instead was using mafia as a metaphor to imply that News Corp. saw itself as a state within a state, and that the company was built on a basic notion of extended family bonds and loyalty. But just because its a metaphor doesnt mean it isnt the real thing, too. Well-sourced information coming out of the Department of Justice and the FBI suggests a debate is going on that could result in the recently launched investigations of News Corp. falling under the RICO statutes. RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, establishes a way to prosecute the leaders of organizationsand strike at the organizations themselvesfor crimes company leaders may not have directly committed, but which were otherwise countenanced by the organization. Any two of a series of crimes that can be proven to have occurred within a 10-year period by members of the organization can establish a pattern of racketeering and result in draconian remedies. In 1990, following the indictment of Michael Milken for insider trading, Drexel Burnham Lambert, the firm that employed him, collapsed in the face of a RICO investigation. Among the areas that the FBI is said to be looking at in its investigation of News Corp. are charges that one of its subsidiaries, News... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'
[ AdWeek | 2011-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
Fox, who worked at HarperCollins Publishers for 35 years and as the company's general counsel for a decade, died on May 2 following an extended illness. Former HC president and CEO Jane Friedman once called Fox "a legend in his own time." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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As Trump and his allies continue their desperate efforts to overturn the election results, there are reports that the soon-to-be former president is planning to launch his own media venture. Mike Allen, of Axios, wrote in his newsletter on Thursday that Trump “has told friends he wants to start... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-11-13 12:41:44 UTC ]
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In a brief announcement this week, the Association of American Publishers announced that longtime executive Allan Adler will leave his position as executive v-p and general counsel of the organization, effective October 15. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Catriona MacLeod Stevenson is joining the Publishers Association as general counsel. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-20 19:55:14 UTC ]
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William Bowes is set to leave Cambridge University Press to become the Publishers Association’s new general counsel and director of policy, saying there is “urgent work” to be done. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An intellectual property lawyer and former general counsel at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Bursley died on January 30. She was 61. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hires this year by MediaMath, one of the few large independent ad tech companies that hasn't gone public or sold, suggest that it's gearing up for change, beit an initial public offering or more aggressive growth as a still-private player.Most recently, Rich Schmaeling joined MediaMath this... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2015-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp began putting his stamp on the publishing company Wednesday, when employees were told that editors will begin reporting to the organization's business side, a reversal that sent a ripple of anxiety through its editorial offices. Editors of the company's magazines, which... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook received about 38,000 data requests from government agents in 71 countries in the first half of 2013, according to the company's first Global Government Requests Report, which it published today. The report comprises both criminal and national security requests made in the first six... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In my biography of Rupert Murdoch, I referred to News Corporation as Mafia-like, provoking the annoyance of my publishers libel lawyers. I explained to them that I did not mean to suggest this was an organized crime family, but instead was using mafia as a metaphor to imply that News Corp.... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2011-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this