But we're fighting back, and winning! We played a key role in stopping Murdoch's grab for media control in the UK. Now we're taking our red-hot UK campaign global, to roll back the Murdoch menace everywhere with campaigns, investigations and legal action.

Hacking murdered children's phones, paying off police, destroying evidence of crimes, threatening politicians -- UK leaders say Rupert Murdoch's empire has "entered the criminal underworld". For decades, Murdoch has ruled with impunity -- making and breaking governments with his vast media holdings and scaring opponents into silence, but we're fighting back, and winning!

Murdoch at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2009.

Through almost 1 million actions, 7 campaigns, 30,000 phone calls, investigations and countless stunts and legal tactics, we've played a lead role and stopped Murdoch from buying over 50% of UK commercial media! Now we're taking our red-hot UK campaign global, to roll back the Murdoch menace everywhere.

Here's the plan: together we can a) hire investigators to expose Murdoch's corrupt tactics beyond the UK b) organize prominent voices to break the cycle of fear and speak out on this issue and c) mobilise people in key countries behind new laws and legal actions that stop Murdoch and clean up our media for good.

Avaaz members live in every country where Murdoch works, making our movement the only one that can truly take a campaign against his global empire and win. The time is now -- If just 20,000 of us donate a small amount each, we can seize this once-in-a-generation chance. Click below to chip in:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_donate/?vl

For weeks, nearly daily revelations have uncovered the extent of Murdoch media's corruption in the UK. His operatives hacked the phones of thousands of people, including grieving widows and soldiers who died in Iraq, stole a Prime Minister's bank information and harassed him for 10 years, paid huge sums to police officers, and Rupert's son, James Murdoch, himself authorized hush money to victims.

But this is the tip of the iceberg -- Murdoch is a global problem. He's famous for dictating editorial positions to his papers. He corrupts and controls democracies by pushing politicians to back his extremist ideas on war, torture and a host of other planetary ills, and destroying the careers of politicians with smear campaigns unless they do his bidding. In the US, he helped elect George W. Bush and has most of the Republican presidential candidates actually on his payroll (see sources below). His Fox News Network spread lies to promote the war in Iraq, pushed resentment of Muslims and immigrants and spawned the right-wing tea party. Maybe worst of all, he has helped block critical global action on climate change.

Murdoch's reign of fear is breaking down, and many are on the edge of speaking out against his tactics. The dam is about to break in the US, Australia and elsewhere, but we need to give it an urgent push by investigating Murdoch further, organising high profile opposition, and making sure that our politicians pass laws that will clean up our media for good. Let's make it happen together:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_donate/?vl

Our community kept campaigning on this issue when almost everyone else in the UK gave up hope. Because we're people-powered, we don't have the same fear of Murdoch that almost everyone else does. It's part of the promise that people power has for change in the world. Today, hope is breaking out in the UK -- let's take it global.

With determination,

Ricken, Emma, Maria Paz, Giulia, Luis, Alice, Brianna and the rest of the Avaaz team

SOURCES:

Decision on BSkyB takeover could take weeks after surge in online campaigning (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/07/07/decision-on-bskyb-takeove_n_892244.html

BSkyB bid final clearance unlikely to be given before September (The Guardian)
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt will take 'several weeks' to review 100,000-plus submissions on News Corp/BSkyB takeover
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/07/bskyb-bid-final-celarance-september

Murdoch maimed by social media (The Scotsman)
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/opinion/Lesley-Riddoch-Murdoch-maimed-by.6799263.jp?articlepage=1

Who is Rupert Murdoch? (Center for American Progess)
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2004/07/b122948.html

The global reach of Murdoch's News Corp (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14104349

Rebekah Brooks must go over Milly 'hacking' - Miliband (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14027879

Latest Updates on British Phone Hacking Scandal (New York Times)
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/latest-updates-on-british-phone-hacking-scandal/

Fox News 2012? Nearly All Potential GOP Presidential Candidates On FNC Payroll (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/27/fox-news-has-nearly-all-p_n_740070.html