The article "The Age of Murdoch" by James Fallows discusses in great detail the debate, and story behind the debate, of whether or not government rules should be relaxed in regards to media regulation. Fallows starts by discussing the role of Rupert Murdoch in today's media, and his journey to reach that role. He believes that Murdoch is the face of what the media is becoming, which is a business run like any other business, instead of a business with special privileges and responsibilities. Fallows also discusses the evolution of the FCC and how it relates to the current debate on media regulation and Murdoch's view of media as a business. He then concludes by stating that if citizens in the future feel like the media should not be run like a regular business, and that media does have special responsibilities, it is up to them to ask their representatives to create new media regulations that hold the media to a different standard than what has been set (Fallows, 2003).
Both this story and James Fallows as an author appear to be completely credible. The article covers a lot about American history, which is a subject that Fallows received an undergraduate degree from Harvard in. Fallows also received a graduate degree in economics from Oxford, which makes his analysis of the economic and business side of media in the article seem credible (2013). He also has political experience, working for two years as the chief White House speechwriter for Jimmy Carter. As a journalist Fallows also has extensive experience. He has worked at The Atlantic for almost 30 years, where he has written stories on topics ranging from military policy, to this article about media regulation, and many things in between. He also spent two years as the editor of US News & World Report (2013).
Fallows doesn't only make this story credible by his personal experience alone. He does a great job of not showing a bias in his writing. When discussing Murdoch, who is a very controversial person in today's media, he shows both sides of the story, the side that likes Murdoch, and the side that doesn't. He also depicts both sides of the media regulation argument, whether it is the more conservative argument as to why regulation should be lowered, or the more liberal side who thinks regulation should stay the same or be raised. This balance in his writing makes him much more reliable as an author.
James Fallows is not the only source of credibility for this article. The article appeared in The Atlantic, which is a very respected source in journalism. The magazine was first published in November of 1857, and has long been known as a historic and important magazine, dating back to even the Civil War, where they did important wartime reporting (Murphy, 1994). For a journalistic magazine to last for over 150 years, it needs to have the respect of its readers and of the media community.
James Fallows. The Atlantic. Retrieved September 24, 2013 from http://www.theatlantic.com/james-fallows/.
Murphy, C. (n.d.). A History of The Atlantic Monthly. The Atlantic. Retrieved September 24, 2013 from http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/about/atlhistf.htm.
Fallows, J. (2003). The Age of Murdoch. The Atlantic.
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