Murdoch apologizes for ‘Jewish-owned press’ tweet

JTA — Media mogul Rupert Murdoch apologized for a tweet in which he slammed the “Jewish owned press” for its “anti-Israel” coverage of the Gaza conflict.

On Sunday, Murdoch tweeted, ” ‘Jewish owned press’ have been sternly criticized, suggesting link to Jewish reporters. Don’t see this, but apologize unreservedly.”

Murdoch followed up his apology with a letter to the Anti-Defamation League in which he called his tweet about the news media “awkward and inappropriate.” He wrote, “I feel very strongly about the righteousness of Israeli’s cause, particularly when its citizens are under missile attack. So I do get very upset when I see coverage that I feel is unfair and biased towards Israel. But I should have stuck to the substance of the issue and not bring in irrelevant and incorrect ethnic matters.”

He reportedly received angry responses to his tweet from Saturday that asked, “Why Is Jewish owned press so consistently anti-Israel in every crisis?” And in a second tweet, Murdoch, who has positioned himself as a supporter of Israel, added, “Middle East ready to boil over any day. Israel position precarious. Meanwhile watch CNN and AP bias to point of embarrassment.”

Murdoch is the founder and chief executive of News Corp., which owns Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and many other media properties.