Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch revealed his misplaced priorities when he congratulated his tabloid, Daily Telegraph, for the coverage of the horrific Sydney siege that ended with the death of two hostages and the gunman.
Murdoch was heavily criticised for congratulating his newspaper instead of expressing grief for the victims.
"Aust gets wake-call with Sydney terror. Only Daily Telegraph caught the bloody outcome at 2.00 am. Congrats," Murdoch tweeted on Tuesday, hours after the tragedy.
Murdoch's tweet earned him a bitter backlash on Twitter, with even celebrities lashing out at him for the insensitive comment.
Among those who criticised the 83-year-old media mogul for his comment were former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's daughter Jessica Rudd, pop-star Anthony Callea and comedian Adam Hills.
AUST gets wake-call with Sydney terror. Only Daily Telegraph caught the bloody outcome at 2.00 am. Congrats. — Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) December 15, 2014
"Good grief "@rupertmurdoch: AUST gets wake-call with Sydney terror. Only Daily Telegraph caught the bloody outcome at 2.00 am. Congrats.," Jessica Rudd tweeted.
Callea went a step further with his criticism, calling Murdoch a 'sick man'.
You sick man RT @rupertmurdoch: AUST gets wake-call with Sydney terror. Only Daily Telegraph caught the bloody outcome at 2.00am. Congrats.
— Anthony Callea (@AnthonyCallea) December 15, 2014
Comedian Adam Hills retweeted a post that said, "Rupert Murdoch, you are a vile human being".
I'm sorry. Is this real? RT @cyenne40: Rupert Murdoch, you are a vile human being. @rupertmurdoch #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/VSU39OS9vc
— Adam Hills (@adamhillscomedy) December 15, 2014
Some other harsh reactions to Murdoch on Twitter described him as a 'spawn of Satan' and 'morbid ghoul'.
.@rupertmurdoch How insensitive. Shows no empathy for victims, emergency services & all Aussies. Your next tweet should be an apology. — Marsha Thomson MP (@MarshaThomsonMP) December 16, 2014
This is not the first time Murdoch was caught in a Twitter controversy. Only a few weeks ago, he stoked controversy when he tweeted about the film 'Exodus: Gods and Kings', stating - "Moses film attacked on Twitter for all white cast. Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are."
