Late Apple founder loathed Fox News, yet still worked with Rupert Murdoch.
Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs reveals some intriguing secrets and inside information about the late Apple founder.
In addition to speculation about a new Apple TV, Jobs told Barack Obama his economic policies would doom his presidency and accused Google of “grand theft” for developing an iPhone competitor, Isaacson’s tome includes Jobs’ fascinating recollection of a meeting with fellow businessman Rupert Murdoch.
After appearing at a News Corp. event, Jobs reportedly had a few harsh words for the company’s CEO, telling Murdoch that his Fox News network is a “destructive force,” according to Poynter.
“You’re blowing it with Fox News,” Jobs said, according to the book. “The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you’ve cast your lot with the destructive people. Fox has become an incredibly destructive force in our society. You can be better, and this is going to be your legacy if you’re not careful.”
But the late mogul clearly wasn’t too put off by Murdoch, because the men worked closely together to launch Murdoch’s iPad paper, The Daily.
In other media-related Jobs news, Jobs had a complicated relationship with the ‘New York Times,’ especially reporter Joe Nocera, who wrote a 2008 report critical of Apple keeping Jobs’ health problems under wraps. Jobs reportedly called Nocera, and said, “You think I’m an arrogant asshole who thinks he’s above the law, and I think you’re a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong.”
Still, Jobs clearly respected ‘The Times,’ because he wanted to personally help them expand their digital business. “It’s important for the country for them to figure it out,” said Jobs about the paper’s decision to charge for online content.
October 26, 2011 at 11:20 am, Anonymous said:
As much as an innovator as Jobs was, a liberal will be a liberal no matter what.
and Jobs was most definitely a liberal.
Note how he didn’t go off about NBC, MSNBC, CBS, or any number of other liberal outlets.
You can take the liberal out of the bias, but you can’t take the bias out of the liberal.
October 26, 2011 at 11:27 am, Anonymous said:
Because they arent destructive forces pitting class warfare the way FauxNews does.
I think its funny that anyone who questions FauxNews suddenly becomes a liberal. I’m in the middle and FauxNews just seems blatantly right to me. I dont know how anyone can disagree. Jobs had it pegged exactly right, as most intelligent people do.
October 26, 2011 at 11:36 am, Ujkl said:
Typical liberal, think your smarter than anyone who you disagree with.
October 26, 2011 at 1:08 pm, Ktimp said:
It is “you’re” not “your” – Guess you made the point pretty clear.
October 27, 2011 at 1:48 am, Anon said:
Welcome to the internet
you have met Classic Troll
October 26, 2011 at 1:12 pm, Ktimp said:
It’s “you’re” not “your” – point made.
October 27, 2011 at 10:20 am, Mr. Dick Turpin said:
Why is that in the interminable liberal vs. conservative debate, smarts and intelligence always seem to side more with liberals than conservatives? Understand what I’m getting at here, Ujkl?
October 27, 2011 at 11:35 am, Anonymous said:
So NO other network shows any bias? Seriously?
Your first sentence betrays the fact that you are not in the “middle” of anything.
It’s pathetic how none of you people can think for yourself.
October 27, 2011 at 5:20 pm, J said:
You should listen or read an obama speech to find out who is calling for classs warfare! What news do you watch or are you an obama paid thug!
October 26, 2011 at 11:28 am, Icym said:
Does being a liberal make Job’s comment of ‘constructive-destructive’ less accurate? Certainly, from a conservative point of view, its a knee jerk answer. But, objectively, its a fair opinion and observation
October 27, 2011 at 11:34 am, Anonymous said:
His comment is no different than any other liberal that says the same thing about Fox News, but says nothing about the ridiculous bias about the other networks.
It’s the same old hypocrisy.
If it’s so biased why is it so successful? Why are it’s shows so popular?
You can call it as many names as you like, but you can’t deny it success.
If people like you would try looking at things without your rose colored glasses you would see that there is bias in EVERY news outlet.
October 26, 2011 at 11:36 am, Mr. Dick Turpin said:
Yeah Jobs was highly intelligent and critical of the status quo – that means there’s more chance he’s liberal than conservative. Take note, however, that he was also highly critical of Obama’s economic policies. That suggests he wasn’t a Democrat either. You get my drift here, Virgil Cole? (If that is your real name.)
October 27, 2011 at 11:29 am, Anonymous said:
“IF that’s your real name!”
Who are you Sherlock Holmes?
You lost everyone on the “highly intelligent liberal” comment.
Only in your very simple mind, my apprentice.
October 26, 2011 at 2:33 pm, Josh said:
Just so you know, the question if Fox news is a negative force pandering to the interests of the right elite hasnt been decided for years. There is no defence, none what so ever. Its something that in history will be looked back on as a absolute joke, people will laugh that anyone ever took them seriously. Really it will happen, the same with the banking situation. I just hope it doesn’t take you a decade to realise.
October 27, 2011 at 11:27 am, Anonymous said:
“hasn’t been decided….?
Your point jumps around so much that I can’t pin it down.
October 26, 2011 at 3:27 pm, Harold said:
It has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative, it has to do with running a media outlet with integrity to report on the news, which Fox News has none of, and those working for Fox News have admitted so. They believe there is a “liberal bias” in the media therefore they report on a slant to correct that bias. There is no integrity in that. I hate this sort of false equivalency thing that goes on, in which we have to give both sides equal weight – even if one side is worse. The most blatant example of this is global warming, which Fox News routinely denies. If a news organization talks about global warming as a scientific fact, they are labeled as a having a liberal bias, even though more than 97% of professionals in the field believe it is real and man-made. Give me *any* other subject where 97% of the professionals in the field agree with a claim and yet an entire news organization dismisses it. Is there any? This would be like a man going to 100 oncologists, 97 of them telling you you have cancer, and you saying “ehh, there’s a lot of debate going on.” This is the equivalent of, 500 years ago, there being two sides to the argument of the Earth being round, and having one news organization saying it is round with the other saying “pfff, yeah ok you guys are obviously biased” even though there is scientific proof to the Earth being round, and nothing to support the Earth being flat. And this is coming from an organization which should be reporting the news and reporting facts. If Fox News ran an organization that reported on the actual news and did not deliberately twist facts and misrepresent things, Jobs would not be saying this, regardless of what their supposed political views are. Their is tons of empirical evidence to support things such as a Government run healthcare program, that supply-side economics doesn’t work and that global warming is real and man-made. Yet even though there have studies which prove these things, they are dismissed as having a liberal bias if they are reported on. The difference between these “liberal” claims and the conservative claims is that these ones are base on something called “science.” It is how we deductively figure stuff out. But I know that conservatives don’t like that sort of stuff, you would rather go with your gut than your head.
October 26, 2011 at 4:43 pm, Brennan said:
Okay I agree with your stance but when you spout facts get it right global warming studies that were released were created in a way to produce that global warming was true the scientists even admitted to this later and the effect man has on global warming is negligible you idiot and then you messed up more by using the example that you think that 500 years ago people believed the world was flat again you are wrong very few to none believed the world was flat infact as early as the Greeks the planet was shown as round. Again I agree with you but if you’re going to try and make a big rant taking an opinion make sure your correct so you don’t make the rest of the people making this point to look stupid.
October 26, 2011 at 7:24 pm, Harold said:
http://www.skepticalscience.com/global-warming-scientific-consensus-basic.htm
Also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_opinion_on_climate_change
The Wikipedia article. If you head to section 4 “scientific consensus”, it shows the opinions of all major Scientific Organizations, and all opinions are cited.
The Earth is getting warmer because of us. It has become scientific fact. If we have a bunch of people just sticking their head in the sand ignoring the problem because “the facts aren’t in”, even though they are, the Earth will become uninhabitable in a very short amount of time.
October 27, 2011 at 7:02 am, Cober said:
Check out http://www.drroyspencer.com/global-warming-natural-or-manmade/
since he proposes very logical information about global warming. If you don’t believe his credentials think of this, Al Gore has made millions off of his global warming “scandal”. I don’t care if you are Liberal or Conservative as long as you can hold your own in an argument and be able to provide truthful facts about a subject
October 26, 2011 at 7:41 pm, Heidi said:
Well, I think Fox dismisses evolution, too, if you’re looking for another subject. Or did you mean one that an *actual* news organization dismisses? But I completely agree with your point, either way.
October 27, 2011 at 11:37 am, Anonymous said:
Only in America could I type the word “liberal” and get a thousand word diatribe on “Global Warming”
Congratulations. Good luck only watching channels that agree with all your views.
October 27, 2011 at 11:55 am, Jennfolds5 said:
Most of the people behind the scenes of Fox news that have to keep cameras up, etc, are at least moderate. They want a paycheck or that show wouldn’t even run. Those people don’t look up FACTS for NEWS, do you think they know how to OPERATE a BOOM to run their stupid SHOWS? Lol
October 26, 2011 at 3:40 pm, formeremployee said:
Virgil Cole & others:
You have missed the point. You glossed over his criticisms of Obama and Joe Nocera at NYTimes. If you had known something of the man, you would know that he was about creating high quality products.
If you had known him, you would know that he was highly critical of his employees and expected a great deal from them. You would know that he walked the halls and didn’t act like he was better than his employees. In fact, he once had an open policy on salaries. He lived in a fairly modest home for his level of rich and he wasn’t very lavish. He loved making the best technical products out there.
Oh and many of his employees were very hard working (worked weekends because they enjoyed it) and very environmentally conscious. Yes, you could say most of them were liberal or er rather, constructive.
October 27, 2011 at 11:26 am, Anonymous said:
I knew most of that.
October 26, 2011 at 5:22 pm, John Kabler said:
Anyone who thinks they can encompass another person’s worldview with the single word “liberal” or “conservative” is taking a mental shortcut that is counter productive to finding solutions for tough problems, which is what politics is all about.
Anyone who encompasses their own worldview with the single word “liberal” or “conservative” is almost certainly lacking in independent thought. A person who is conservative in Massachusetts might be a liberal in Texas. I am opposed to abortion and a supporter of gun ownership rights, yet I am also a supporter of environmental protection, I believe in global warming and evolution. Does that make me a conservative or a liberal? The answer is you have no idea. How do you know what my position on taxes is? How do you know what Steve Jobs’ position on these issues was? The answer is you have no idea and are inferring these answers from a label you tagged him with due to him not liking Fox News.
October 27, 2011 at 11:25 am, Anonymous said:
Uh…okay.
October 26, 2011 at 11:31 am, Iggy said:
You seem to have a bit of bias yourself. He told Rupert how he felt about FOX. He wasn’t in a meeting with the owner of NBC or CBS. Both liberals and conservatives can be overly religious in their approach to a politically controversial subject. It’s still a somewhat free country.
October 26, 2011 at 11:32 am, Duffuz said:
Who gives a s… about what Steve Jobs or Fox news opinions are? They are both trying to do the same thing, gain more power.
October 26, 2011 at 2:32 pm, Josh said:
Hardly, Apple came about through competition in a free market. Murdoch was a product of the British Conservative party, the Tories. He was given power to help support their politics. Look it up, its a huge difference. I know Apple are popular so its cool to bash them, but please at least be accurate.
October 26, 2011 at 1:44 pm, MoneyCone said:
Wasn’t exactly a revelation if you ask me.
October 26, 2011 at 2:38 pm, Brian Emmons said:
Fox news is an embarrassment to American society. There is no logic on Faux news, they target and bash liberals by name calling, distorting facts, and making up lies on the spot because they know mindless sheep will believe them. They won’t change their beliefs even if logic says otherwise. Fox news is by far the most bias of them all. I’m neither liberal nor conservative, I’m in the middle and Fox news is far from that.
October 27, 2011 at 1:05 pm, Anonymous said:
The main-stream media (CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC) are an embarrassment to American society. There is no logic on the main-stream media, they target and bash conservatives by name calling, distorting facts, and making up lies on the spot because they know mindless liberal sheep will believe them. They won’t change their beliefs even if logic says otherwise. Main-stream media is by far the most bias of them all. I’m neither liberal nor conservative, I’m in the middle and the main-stream media news is far from that.
October 27, 2011 at 11:17 pm, jim said:
Gosh that’s clever. Can’t imagine what sort of IQ it requires.
October 26, 2011 at 4:32 pm, jake b said:
Um if you adhere to the tenets of western society, you are a liberal.
Some people trying to turn it into a slur by sneering when they use it doesnt actually change its meaning. 2+2 is 4 no matter how many times a contradictory statement is repeated.
This is gradeschool vocabulary stuff people. Check a dictionary.
October 26, 2011 at 5:22 pm, Lea said:
The secret book Steve was too embarrassed to admit he read: http://goo.gl/obiC
October 26, 2011 at 10:18 pm, Da Bomb said:
It’s a shame what Rupert Murdoch has done to the American society, he should be arrested and tried for the crimes against humanity.
October 27, 2011 at 5:34 am, Simon George said:
Not as destructive as cancer.
October 27, 2011 at 5:35 am, Nuts Flipped said:
They killed Steve Fox!
October 27, 2011 at 5:37 am, Nuts Flipped said:
I meant Steve Job.
October 27, 2011 at 5:37 am, Nuts Flipped said:
I meant Steve Job.
October 27, 2011 at 5:17 pm, J said:
The only news an American can count on as truth is Fox News, the reast of the media paints a picture of liberalism as the only good and fair ideals of American and world society. This is where Mr. Jobs got it wrong, without common sense there is nothing good or fair or right, the left wing idealogue’s formula for life just doesn’t work. That is a fact ad all you have to do to PROVE IT, IS LOOK AROUND! Europe, the obama template is an absolute failure. Look at the USSR an ABSOLUTE FAILURE and now it’s gone, because it could not work or sustain it’s people! Look at the schools in America, another absolute failure American children at the bottom of academics even though billions are funneled into it. Look at the EPA, a regulatory agency that has gone mad, costing America, jobs, energy independance, and driving businesses off shore. Look at our governments, bureaucrats that vote themselves raises, lifetime pensions, cadillac healthcare plans, and billions of back door monies from big business lobbyists! And still we have a nation of blind, misinformed, misguided citizens like brian emmons “blogger”. America must wake up, liberals will do ANYTHING to achieve their goals of destruction, lie, steal, cheat, slander, use the continuos “race card” because their end they desire justifies the means to get it! Liberals are an embarassment to America as well as free thinking, the rights of individuals, and liberty!
October 27, 2011 at 11:15 pm, jim said:
Lovin’ that Kool-Aid, aren’t you?
October 28, 2011 at 2:53 pm, Mistergreengenes said:
Doesn’t matter what side you’re on, nobody lies and distorts the truth while spreading fear like Fox does. Blatant and DESTRUCTIVE, just like Steve said. Rich people telling rich people to tell middle class people to blame the poor people. Simple as that folks…