Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch.Credit:Bloomberg
TheHerald,our sister paperThe Australian Financial Review and the ABC have all reported on conversations between Mr Stokes,Mr Murdoch and Mr Turnbull in the days before the Liberal Party leadership spill.
TheFinancial Review and then the ABC and reported that shortly before the coup Mr Murdoch told Mr Stokes that"Malcolm has to go"and Mr Stokes expressed concern that instability in the party would guarantee a Labor government.
Mr Stokes has now said the characterisation of his end of the conversation was wrong although he did not deny that a conversation took place. He said he does not dictate editorial policy to theWest Australian newspaper,which he controls. The general manager of News Corp,Liz Deegan,said,"The ABC andAFR reporting is merely that – speculation and conspiracy."
If the idea that media moguls played a role in the coup is a conspiracy theory it was apparently shared by the former prime minister.The Herald reported on Thursday that Mr Turnbull called Mr Murdoch two days before the leadership spill asking him to stop supporting challenger Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.
Mr Turnbull clearly believed that it was in Mr Murdoch's gift to staunch the torrent of hostile coverage.
Coincidentally Mr Murdoch was present in Australia and he and co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch had just met all the key editors and journalists at their newspapers and Sky News. Mr Murdoch has never made any secret of selecting editors who share his views.
Nevertheless it would be wrong to exaggerate Mr Murdoch's influence. He may well not have dictated the daily coverage on this issue. Moreover,his power is slipping as the internet displaces newspapers and television. At the best of times,Sky's evening news programs has only had tiny audiences.