MUMBAI: Media moghul Ted Turner, founder CNN, has once again taken aim at his arch nemesis Rupert Murdoch. Traversing terrain that Turner has covered before, the target of his attack is Fox News.

Speaking a few days ago at a summit of the National Association Of Broadcasters (NAB) in the US, Turner dismissed Fox as being a "propaganda voice" of the Bush administration.

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's certainly legal. But it does pose problems for our democracy. When the news is dumbed down it leaves voters without critical information on politics and world events and overloaded with fluff." He went on to compare Fox News Channel's popularity to Adolf Hitler's rise in Germany before World War II.
 
This is not the first time that Turner has gone after Fox in this manner. A couple of years ago he had called Murdoch a warmonger for Fox News Channel's reportage during the US-led invasion of Iraq.

TURNER LAMBASTS MEDIA CONSOLIDATION IN THE US

Turner's ire was not restricted to Fox News alone however. During his speech at the convention, he also hit out against media consolidation in the US. "The consolidation has made it almost impossible for an independent. It's virtually impossible to start a cable network. Broadcasters and programmers don't want more independent voices out there. They own everything. That is why I went into the restaurant business. Either that or I'd work for a salary for one of the big jerks."

He also stressed on the need for American news channels to go beyond the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. "We need to be well informed. We need to know what's going on in the world. We need a little less Hollywood news and a little more hard news. This would probably be good for our society."

Meanwhile responding to Turner, a Fox News spokesperson said, "Ted is understandably bitter having lost his ratings, his network and now his mind. We wish him well."