New NHK boss Katsuto Momii got into trouble in Japan last month for comments on comfort women for Japanese soldiers during World War II and for suggesting that the state broadcaster should support the Japanese government in the territorial dispute with China.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was similarly criticized for asking the state-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to support government policy. The ABC has long been criticized for left-wing bias in the opinion pages of the Murdoch press which, given its own well-known biases, is especially ironical.

In the United Kingdom, former top executives of papers in Murdoch's News Corp stable are currently on trial for their roles in the phone hacking scandal that engulfed British media.