Dear Bono....

The difficulty surrounding the task of writing academically on the media mogul rests in the majority of them being so deathly old. With extracellular technology so advanced these days it is rare to find a media mogul under 100 and most of them tend to resemble the corpses in Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Anyone familiar with the character of Mr Burns in The Simpsons can recognise the caricature of the media mogul and understand the job of building up an empire takes time. And the older a media mogul is, the longer he or she has had to become richer. So to my own dismay, by the time this book is released and read, I am certain half the people listed below will either be dead from natural causes or in the process of being immersed into an ice tank for cryogenic freezing.

But a secondary problem surrounding the media mogul being so old is that they tend to always leave their empires to their eldest sons. These very sons just so happen to be roughly the same age as their fathers and therefore the family heirloom is passed from one geriatric to another like a strand of heart disease. Ergo, just when we thought some new blood might be injected into our favourite newspaper’s slant on the world, we are destined for at least another 20 years of the same tired closed-minded right or left-wing operation.

However, times are changing. Staffs are expanding and roles within the print media and broadcasting industry are becoming more and more specialized. The past decade which has seen the number of uses for the internet skyrocket has dropped digital newspapers into our laps with pages we will never feel and ink unable to be to smelled, leaving awkward and heavy broadsheets only to wrap glassware or line the budgie cages. The information age is new and exciting and requires new and exciting thinking. Cynicism aside, there are tycoons out there whose success does thrive on this willingness and capability to adapt. However, there are also many programmed workaholics – businessmen and women wired for knowing the shortest route to gaining victory. The tricky task now is being able to get both the new and the old fighting for the same goal.

The following list of people is a directory of the real medicine men and women of the world. They are an important ingredient to ending extreme poverty as they have the power to shove its severity down our throats in the same way Paris and OJ and Britney and Clinton have been done in the past. Such front page news stories on trivial subject matter is in itself, irresponsible, negligent and mean-spirited. These potential medicine men condoning such careless journalism are the media tycoons controlling the newspapers, television and radio stations of the world. Although they are rich, their combined wealth would still not eliminate extreme poverty for good. But their powers do not exist in the success of their companies but their access to our world’s communication mediums. They are at the end of every string connected to the end of every tin can which every person in the world is holding to their ears in anticipation; awaiting the next thing to worry about.

A summit involving all these 200-odd people, in conjunction with the heads of the press councils can do more than any summit with foreign diplomats or government heads of state. Currently, we the people of democratic nations remain slaves to our elected decision-makers. The first move to eradicating extreme poverty (and at risk of using a cliché here) is to give the decision-making back to the people. And if we are to think practically for a moment about what this cliché actually means – it means putting our elected representatives at ease in thinking that they aren’t going to lose their jobs if they commit to annihilating third world famine. It means that strengthening a nation’s commitment to foreign aid will not be considered by our politicians a controversial or left or right-wing decision.

If we were to look at all our heads of state in power; all wear neckties, tuck in their shirts and carry umbrellas on cloudy days. These people did not get to where they are today by acting recklessly and supporting the rights and opinions of the minorities. The reality is that any head of state that builds a platform on a greater commitment to humanitarian aid will crash and burn to their opposition who lobbies for policies closer to home. But once the message is clear that the developing world is past the point of a garden variety states of emergency; then the consensus will be – we need to hurry up. Just because we are not seeing something does not mean it is not happening. And with poverty, the world behaves as children, believing that what they cannot see when their eyes are closed, is not actually taking place.

The following invitation list is written with a few lines about each individual’s role in the media industry today. While it might sound like a racing form, these people are indeed not horses; they are the key players in ending extreme poverty. It does not need to happen in our children’s lifetime; it does not need to happen in our own lifetime and it doesn’t need to happen today. It needed to happen yesterday and it needed to happen last week and last year. We have let things go far enough as it is. We have been distracted with climate change and national politics and personal inconvenience. And with the help of these men and women, no more should die from lacking the commodities we take for granted.

Rupert Murdoch: The one and only. Head honcho of News Corporation and master and controller of the universe. This guy is friends with every big name you can think of, God included. His hobbies include influencing political governments and pushing buttons that instantly send people to their deaths when failing to laugh at his jokes. At one time enjoying long walks along the beach, he now employs people to do the walking for him. While Jesus’ touch merely heals you, a brush with this guy will turn you into gold.

Samuel Irving and Donald Newhouse: Two of America’s richest. The Newhouses own magazine publishing company Conde Nastè Publications. They also own Advance Publications which encompasses newspapers, magazine and cable channels all over the continent. At the combined age of 300, the Newhouses have offices in New York, Sydney, Paris, London, Milan and Tokyo and their lives are filled with parties, live music, dancing girls and catheters at all hours of the morning.

George Hearst Jr: Chairman on the board of the Hearst Corporation. The character of Charles Foster Kane in the film Citizen Kane was based on this guy’s grandfather, William Randolph Hearst. Today the company owns newspapers, magazines and television networks throughout North America. Rosebud indeed.

Sumner Redstone: Owner of most of Viacom and CBS Corporation. Redstone also received widespread attention for ending Tom Cruise’s contract with Paramount after deeming Cruise’s behaviour as unacceptable. Apparently it wasn’t scientology he objected to as much as the jumping on couches.

Oprah Winfrey: I’ve seen members of the Ku Klux Klan melt in Oprah’s presence. This girl isn’t influential cause she’s rich, she’s rich cause she’s influential. Already a great ambassador for poverty-stricken women and a worthy advocate for keeping extreme poverty in the public eye, Oprah wears her motivations on her sleeve and lets everyone in on her secret to happiness and success. However impossible to believe, she truly has more power than she is aware of and can do much more to help end extreme poverty for good. This is an important, powerful and morally responsible woman. Although she does tend to spend a lot of money on shit.

Haim Saban: Egyptian/American billionaire. A television media mogul, Saban’s big sell took place at the start of the millennium when he and News Corporation sold Fox Family Worldwide to Walt Disney for a whopping $5 billion. I guess now the kiddies can watch a nice wholesome episode of The Shield.

Ron Burkle: Owner of media company Primedia and no stranger to the world of politics. A proud Democrat, Burkle was buddies with Republican Governor Arnie right back to the days when he was doing porn, as well as the man who regretted never going down that avenue, former US President Bill Clinton. A highly influential man.

Barbara Cox Anthony & Anne Cox Chambers: The real life Golden Girls. While they might appear to be just a couple of old biddies, these chicks are two of the richest people in the world. Owners of publishing company, Cox Enterprises, Babs and Anne have fifteen television networks and a number of newspapers and radio stations. While Barbara lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, I think it’s safe to say her surfing days are over.

James Packer: Son of the late and great Australian media mogul Kerry Packer and apparently (through industry talk) a man with morals. He is the executive chairman of media company PBL which owns the Channel Nine Network in Sydney. Packer tends to have a knack for attracting incredibly good-looking people to him, not excluding men. He developed a friendship with Tom Cruise that unfortunately came to a crashing end when Cruise impertinently jumped on Packer’s million-dollar couch.

Emilio Acarraga: CEO of Mexican media company Group Televisa. Not much is known about him except that this guy inherited a legacy and is young enough to carry out some real changes in his career – if he isn’t an arsehole.

Bill Bresnan: Owner of Bresnan Communications. A media old-hand who has recently re-emerged himself in the television industry after the boom of cable and digital TV. While he might be the King of B-Grade TV, there’s no denying that we all watch it.

Silvio Berlusconi: Two time prime minister of Italy; Berlusconi has extended his power across two estates. Controller of half the Italian television market, he is the founder of media corporation Fininvest, which controls the television network Mediaset. Berlusconi is a man notorious for his winning sense of humour. So winning in fact that he caused a stir one day when assuming the role as president of the European Union Council of Ministers in 2003, announcing the German member would cast well as a Nazi in a movie. Even the crickets were silent in disbelief. Who knew the Germans couldn’t take a joke?

W. Jeffrey Brown: W is the CEO of All Headline News. His first name is actually Wancka, but its frequent mispronunciation led to the abbreviation to just the first initial. An amazing success story, All Headline News is a leading news portal which collects news headlines from various news sites and links them on its website. If only I could have used my plagiarism days at university to come up with this brilliant idea. Brown also regularly sets ups links to several charities which proves he’s not all pure evil after all.

Serge Dassault: French conservative politician and a man with more money than a bank. Dassault inherited aviation and multimedia company Dassault Group from his father, Marcel. He’s French, but we won’t hold that against him.

Jesús Polanco Gutiérrez: Left-wing Spanish media magnate who owns El Pais, the most popular newspaper in Spain. Gutierrez is also the owner of a handful of television and radio stations. Although he’s got the name of a God, he’s never made a Merlot out of water.

Richard Desmond: UK publisher of some of the biggest newspapers in Britain. A man with a temper, Desmond has proved passionate about his work. He is also passionate about his politics, coming under fire in 2002 for donating a massive £100,000 to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. But I’m sure he was just coming through on a bet.

Barry Diller: The oldest man on earth, Diller (whether he’s still alive by this afternoon, let alone the time this book is printed) was the man who made the Fox Broadcasting Company. According to an article published in the New York Times, Diller was the highest paid executive of 2005 with a $295 million payout package. Imagine the hookers and Viagra you could buy with that!

Jonathan Harmsworth: Chairman of one the UK’s largest media companies, Daily Mail and General Trust, with interests in all avenues of communication. Harmsworth is young, a hard worker and could be a key player in changing the content and news agenda of his key papers.

Vineet Jain: With a science background, this guy knows the chemical formula for staying fed in India. Jain is part-controller of the second largest media company in India, Bennet, Coleman and Co Ltd. The company publishes the Times of India, India’s leading newspaper and is part of the Times Group, group of companies. Jain has also invested in music retail, internet and FM broadcasting.

Silvio Santos: A part Greek and part Turkish Jew – this party animal is the owner of one of the largest television stations in Brazil. A former politician in the late 1980s, Santos found more satisfaction in making millions of dollars instead. Owning the priceless attribute of a good sense of humour and being able to laugh at himself, this is someone who would be interested in making a real difference in the world ─ even if it were just to keep himself amused.

Leo Kirch: German media magnate and academic. With a no doubt fully-functioning brain, Kirch has a background in pure mathematics, graduating from the University of Munich in the early 1950s. With also a flair for the arts, he bought the rights to (irrelevant, but personally my favourite film of all time) La Strada in 1956. Kirch is now the owner of a number of television companies and the popular German tabloid, Bild.

Dr John Malone: Current chairman of Liberty Media that controls the two media businesses, Liberty Interactive and Liberty Capital. Malone also controls a number of television stations in North America.

Sir Anthony O’Reilly: CEO of worldwide media company based in Ireland, Independent News and Media. A frequent contributor towards many educational projects and head of the Ireland Funds charity, O’Reilly owns more than 150 newspapers in countries such as India, South Africa, UK, Australia and New Zealand. He was knighted in 2001.

Jean-Bernard Lévy: A family man, Levy is the CEO of French media company, Vivendi. The company has interests in the industries of music, internet, television, publishing, motion pictures and telecommunications. Only an infant in an industry of media-giants, Levy has the morals of a man who might be willing to a reform in media content and prioritising news agenda.

Mathias Dopfner: Chairman, CEO and Head of the Newspapers Division of Axel Springer AG. Axel Springer is Germany’s largest newspaper publisher and part of the leading media and entertainment company, Time Warner Inc. A media tycoon in all senses of the term, Döpfner used to hold an executive position at Bertelsmann in 1992.

Ted Turner: Not to be confused with Ike, the guy who beat up Tina, Ted has done more in relation to humanitarian aid than any other media mogul in the world. Aside from a staggering $1 billion donation to the United Nations in 1998, Turner is the creator of the Goodwill Games, attributing much of his ingenuity and success towards acting responsibly. Founder of CNN, the world’s first cable network 24hour news channel, Turner is up there with Paul Newman and Bill Gates in terms of being one of America’s great entrepreneurial role models. This is a man who would be more than willing to do what he can to end extreme poverty.

Frank Batten Jr: This media heir owns it all. Newspapers, television stations, cable networks and now internet publishing companies. Chairman and CEO of Landmark Communications, Batten has so much control over the Weather Channel he could stop it from raining.

Edward S. Rogers: President and CEO of Rogers Communications. The company is one of Canada’s largest communications organisations.

Craig A. Dubow: Hirer and firer of television and newspaper media company Gannett Co. A family man, Dubow is committed to his job and his home-life. He has the moral make-up of a person with the potential to want to help.

Leonard Asper: President and CEO of CanWest Global Communications Corp, the Canadian publishing company which owns a number of radio and television stations as well. Asper supposedly comes from a family known for their strong political affiliations.

Victor F. Ganzi: President and CEO of Hearst Corporation. Some of the media conglomerate’s publications include the San Francisco Chronicle, Harper’s Bazaar and Midland Daily News. Ganzi is considered by some as not a bad bloke with a strong community focus. He is an active member of various non-profit organisations and charities.

Hubert Burda: Owner of (no surprises here) Hubert Burda Media. This German entrepreneur owns hundreds of magazines and is an avid supporter of the German/Jewish reconciliation process. A highly intelligent man with good intentions, a kind heart and highly set morals.

Marcelo Ballona: This Brazilian hotshot describes himself as always having been a salesman. He says while his passions are technology and people, sales is his life’s creed. That’s some creed. The CEO of media company Diários Associados, Ballona made it even bigger when he invested in internet communications. And who would have thought the internet would take off?

Gustavo Cisneros: Latin billionaire media mogul. Cisneros was born in Venezuela and owns the country’s largest television network. Along with his interests in telecommunications he is the largest shareholder of Univision, Northern America’s major Spanish-language network.

Drew Craig: CEO of Canadian television broadcasting company, Craig Media, as well as the latest actor in the James Bond franchise. Okay, that was a bad joke.

Aydın Doğan: Destined to make kebabs for a living, this Turk decided to be a billionaire instead. An on the ball academic, Doğan not only owns his media company Dogan Group, but also owns the largest oil company in Turkey. Dogan Group owns a number of newspapers and television networks.

Steve Forbes: CEO of Forbes Inc and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine. A former US political candidate, Forbes is a Republican who has donated millions of dollars towards election campaigns. He is not however, the biggest supporter of the UN. But then again, who is?

Donald Graham: CEO and Chairman of the Washington Post Company. Starting out his career as a military journalist, Forbes joined the Washington State Police Force in 1969 before joining his parents’ newspaper in 1971. He coincidentally became part of the Post at its most illustrious era, 12-months prior to Watergate.

Hameed Haroon: CEO of Dawn Group which publishes a number of newspapers in Pakistan. From a family with strong political views, Haroon later went to the prestigious Harvard University in the US. A man with plenty of hobbies, Haroon now publishes four newspapers.

Stefan Von Holtzbrinck: One of Germany’s most eligible bachelors; this is one man you’ll never find having to borrow money. The billionaire inherited publishing house Verlagsgruppe Holtzbrinck from his father, Georg and is young enough to stay well in touch with current global issues. He also has the best name in the entire world.

Peter Ivany: Australian media tycoon who manages the Ivany Investment Group. His interests lie in television broadcasting, advertising and cinema.

Arnaud Lagardère: Heck, even I would marry this guy. Not only is Lagardère rich but good-looking as well. The French CEO of parent company Lagardère SCA owns a number of dailies and magazines under the company, Hachette Filipacchi. Unfortunately, people this blessed in life are seldom charitable. But even if he is, there is no place for people with all that luck in this world.

Mark Mays: Former academic and CEO of US corporation, Clear Channel Communications. The company was the one which created the infamous list of inappropriate songs that could not be played after September 11 which included, ‘Come Fly With Me’, ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ and ‘Free Falling’.

Mir Shakil-Ur-Rahman: Group-editor-in-chief of Pakistan’s Jang Companies which publishes a number of magazines and newspapers in both English and Urdu. He is also the president of the Pakistan Broadcasters Association.

Gunter Thielen: You know an over-achiever when he wants to take over a company $3.5 billion in debt. CEO of German media company Bertelsmann employs over 75,000 people. The company’s close relationship with the Nazis in WWII makes this a corporation with some penance to pay.

Jim Pattison: Owner, operator, CEO, chairman, general manager, general maintenance supervisor, janitor and tuck-shop assistant of (you guessed it) the Jim Pattison Group. Rich enough to lend the banks money, Pattison’s company is the third largest in Canada, operating several radio and television networks in Alberta and British Columbia.

Pierre Karl Péladeau: CEO of Quebecor Inc, parent company of Quebecor Media. The name "Quebecor" actually comes from the word "Quebec" which is the place the corporation comes from. Anyone who doesn’t think this is clever is kidding themselves.

Jerry Perenchio: Owner of Univison, America’s largest Spanish-speaking network. As much as it would be fun to make fun of this guy for being rich and all, Perenchio used to be an agent for A-grade movie stars like Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor, which is way too cool.

Gordon Rawlinson: CEO of Canadian media company Rawlco Radio Ltd. The company owns half a dozen radio stations in the Saskatchewan region. Frequent contributors towards many charities, Gordon and his brother Doug have shown they are interested in using their power for good instead of evil.

Tom Glocer: CEO of internet-based news gathering source, Reuters. While Reuters has thousands of journalists on the payroll, its role as news hub only makes up about 10 per cent of its gross income. As an example of 21^st Century journalism though, Reuters has been the prototype of new media.

Robert Steele: Head of Newfoundland Capital Corporation which owns one television network and dozens of radio stations throughout Canada. Business-smart, Steele tends to focus his news programs mainly on local, community-based issues. However, he is young enough to be open-minded on many global concerns.

Kerry Stokes: Aussie owner of television station Channel Seven as well as 14 magazines, a third of Sky News and owner of the 2000 Sydney Olympics mascot, Fatso the Fat-arsed Wombat. Stokes’ hobbies include, collecting art, long walks along the beach and letting people go.

David Thomson: Canadian entrepreneur and chairman of The Thomson Corporation. A workaholic with admittedly no hobbies, Thomson’s company is one of the largest information corporations in the world. Having carried out a $17 billion merger with Reuters, his place in this world as a self-important recluse, unfortunately doesn’t look to change any time soon.

Camelia Voiculescu: Owner of media company Intact and daughter of Romanian politician Dan Voiculescu. Intact owns the newspaper Jurnalul National and a number of television stations. Romania also happens to be one of the Eastern European countries grossly affected by extreme poverty.

Jay Switzer: President and CEO of CHUM Ltd. Not to be confused with the company that makes dog food, CHUM owns dozens of television and radio networks throughout Canada. With talks of a merger in the wings with CTVglobemedia, Switzer looks to be going from strength to strength.

Vladimir Yevtushenkov: President of Russian holding company Sistema. Yevtushenkov has a PhD in Economics and runs Sistema Mass Media. He is a man who has taken full advantage of capitalism on the grandest scale.

Mortimer B. Zuckerman: A rich man and a bright man too. A successful (which is an understatement) entrepreneur, Zuckerman is known for making his opinions on current affairs out there. Owner of the New York Daily News and editor-in-chief of the US News and World Report, Zuckerman is also a strong supporter for Jewish causes. He was also Andrea’s dad in Beverly Hills 90210.

Richard Parsons: Chairman and CEO of Time Warner and African American republican. An important figure in the media sphere as the company is the largest media conglomerate in the world. Time Warner’s subsidiaries include: CNN, HBO, Warner Bros, AOL and Turner Broadcasting System. A man who lets his opinions be heard, Parsons is expected to run for mayor of New York City in 2009.

Les Moonves: President and CEO of the CBS Corporation and punchline of many a Letterman joke. Moonves has been reluctant to remain behind the scenes during his tenure. As well as television networks, CBS Corporation owns companies in publishing, digital media, radio and music.

Donna Barrett: CEO of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. At only 10-years-old, the Alabama-based company owns 90 daily and 200 non-daily newspapers.

Dennis FitzSimons: Chairman and CEO of Tribune Company, FitzSimons holds a degree in political science and runs the second largest newspaper publisher in America. Having sold a few publications in early 2007, Tribune is still massive with companies in radio and television also.

Arthur Sulzberger Jr: A humble rock-climber and merely the CEO of the New York Times Company, Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger is an executive determined to make his corporation even bigger. Securing 50 per cent of the Discovery Times Channel and delving into partnerships with various sporting organisations, Sulzberger is a lateral thinker. He is experienced enough to be up-to-date with modern-day money-making markets and young enough to still be in touch with modern issues. Coming from a line of media giants before him, this man is aware of his power and is family-orientated enough to hold some upstanding morals.

Janet L. Robinson: President and CEO of The New York Times Company. Her warrior name should be Ginko Biloba, rising to the top by her remarkable ability to increase circulation. Deciding in 2007 to sell all of the company’s television stations, Robinson has been dedicated to keeping both the company and its shareholders healthier than ever.

Farid Suleman: A media giant, Suleman is the Chairman and CEO of Citadel Broadcasting Corporation. Citadel owns 155 FM and 58 AM radio stations all throughout the United States. A couple of years ago this guy bought 22 radio stations at a Walt Disney garage sale. Apparently, he's not a bad guy.

John M. Cassaday: CEO of Canadian radio and specialty television corporation, Corus Entertainment Inc. There’s a life-size picture you can download of Cassaday on the Corus website, should you one day identify him at an ATM and wish to rob him.

Lewis Dickey Jr: CEO, Chairman and Preisdent of Comulus Media. The company owns dozens of radio stations throughout the US. He’s no match, however, to Dickey Sr.

David Copley: CEO of the 100-year-old media company, Copley Press. Heir to the throne, Copley’s company owns a number of American newspapers. Some were recently sold due to the taxes imposed on the estate of Helen K. Copley when she died in 2004. The business is now thriving.

Kenneth Lowe: CEO of E.W Scripps Company which owns a number of daily and community newspaper and radio stations in North America. Lowe has a successful line of television networks as well but mostly focuses on home and gardening programs. The company also runs the Scripps Howard Foundation which was established to improve journalism and help struggling communities.

Scott Flanders: Freedom Communications CEO from California. Owner of nine television stations, 28 dailies and 37 weeklies, Flanders owns the Orange County Register which has won three Pulitzer Prizes.

Jack Kliger: President and CEO of the US’s version of French company, Hachette Filipacchi. The company owns magazines including ELLE, and Woman’s Day.

Robert Jelenic: CEO of Journal Register Company which owns more than 25 daily and 300 non-daily newspapers. Notorious for his temper, Jelenic might be the orthodox media tyrant – but anyone who stabilizes the legs of uneven tables with tens and twenties must be respected.

Mary Junck: This American jack-of-all-trades is president, chairperson and CEO of Lee Enterprises. Owning 56 newspapers, Junck started out as a journalist herself, no doubt finding it more profitable to remain behind the scenes.

Harold McGraw III: If this guy made a movie, he’d be the only name you would see in the closing credits. Chairman, president, CEO, office slut and caterer of McGraw-Hill Companies, McGraw has risen to the top fast. He has watched his large range of companies expand with publications such as BusinessWeek, and a number of Californian television stations. He may be fast, but he is by no means as fast as his second cousin, Quick Draw.

Gregory B. Maffei: A Harvard Business graduate, Maffei is the President and CEO of American media conglomerate, Liberty Media Corp.

Howard Stringer: CEO of Sony Corporation. While I could list a whole lot of impressive things Stringer’s achieved, all we really want him to do is invent one single remote control that manages the DVD, the television, the VCR, the set-top-box and the speakers all in one.

David D. Smith: Chairman, CEO and president of Sinclair Broadcast Group. A George Dubya supporter, and has been alleged to have canned stories that do not show support to the Republican Party. Sounds just like the FOX network to me.

Vince Young: CEO of Young Broadcasting Inc, the fifteenth largest television group worldwide. Handed down from father to son, Adam Young passed the reins to Vince who in 1999 spent a record $820 million on buying a San Francisco television network from Chronicle Broadcasting. You’d certainly want it to do well wouldn’t you.

Warren Stephens: CEO of Stephens Media Group which owns more than 20 newspapers in Arkansas and has recently found a niche in web-based news. Aside from owning newspapers in Las Vegas and Hawaii, Stephens owns Washington Post competitor The Daily World. With company headquarters based in Las Vegas – you can no doubt count on one hell of a Christmas party.

J. Allan Slaight: Owner of Standard Broadcasting, the largest privately-run multimedia organisation in Canada. Slaight’s 40 radio stations and two television stations makes him one of Canada’s fastest growing billionaires.

Michael Viscount Cowdray: CEO of media conglomerate Pearson PLC. While Pearson mostly owns a number of publishing companies, it has been the owner of The Financial Times Group for about 50 years now.

William S. Morris IX: When the names Tom, Dick or Harry don’t do it for you, just name your next son William S – that’s what the Morris family do. I don’t believe for a second that every wife of these sons has thought the constant naming of their kids ‘junior’ was a great idea. I’m sure if their great great grandfather’s Christian name was Pube, the Morris boys would have a different take on things.

Gary B. Pruitt: President, Chairman of the board and CEO of the third largest newspaper company in the US, The McClatchy Company. The McClatchy Company owns a lot of daily and non-daily newspapers as well as the Sacramento Bee, the oldest American newspaper in the West. He is also the current director of The Associated Press and the Newspaper Association of America. Pruitt actually does a lot to assist with low scale poverty in California. He works with an organisation called the James Irvine Foundation which has an objective to enhance communication among diverse racial, ethnic and socio-economic groups; but ultimately, it helps finance many not-for-profit groups and charities. Someone I haven’t heard too much about, but what I have sounds promising.

William Dean Singleton: The Associated Press’s chairman of the board of directors and CEO of the fourth largest newspaper group in the US, MediaNews Group which owns dozens of papers, mainly on the west coast. This guy bought his first newspaper at the tender age of 21. When I was 21, I’d just learnt walk-the-dog on my yoyo. Some of the daily newspapers MediaNews owns include The Times Herald, The Alamogordo Daily News and The Journal Advocate. I think he was also the actor who played MacGyver in the TV series MacGyver.

Vincent Sadusky: CEO of LIN Television which owns about three dozen American TV networks. A figures man, Sadusky used to be the chief financial officer of the second-largest Spanish content producer, Telemundo.

Brian McCarthy: My boss.What can I say, a swell guy. So swell he docked me a week’s pay for printing photos of intoxicated people at the office Christmas party in the social pages of our newspaper two years ago. I don’t know him too well but he seems like a real knob. Brian McCarthy is the latest CEO of Fairfax Media (owner of The Sydney Morning Herald) after David Kirk decided to sack 500 editorial staff, losing confidence from the board. A real tool.

Colleen Brown: CEO and President of Fisher Communications which owns a number of radio and television networks in the northwest part of the US. Brown entered the role during the much-anticipated restructure of the company. She has a long media background with a good head for business.

David Field: President and CEO of Entercom Communications. Entercom is the fourth largest radio broadcasting company in the US. Field has delivered good results for his company and his shareholders making Entercom stronger than ever.

Robert Decherd: A Harvard graduate and now chairman and CEO of Belo Corp which owns half a dozen daily newspapers and 30-odd television stations in the US. Ten years ago Decherd was part of Belo Corp’s biggest takeover in the company’s history when it acquired The Providence Journal Company in 1997.

Marshall Morton: CEO of Media General Company which owns two dozen television networks and a handful of newspapers throughout America. A headstrong businessman, Morton is a vocal supporter for the US to revise media cross-ownerships laws.

* * * * * * * * *

In the one room, these people, in addition to the leaders of the world’s press councils, will have the power to end extreme poverty for good. While the eight world leaders of the G8 Summit represent an approximate 65 per cent of the world’s economy, there is no economy to resource from if all are reluctant to cooperate. And why should any of these nations be anything but reluctant when they represent peoples who are ill-informed of the severity of extreme poverty. Democracy means world leaders representing the opinions of the majority ─ not the minority. Therefore, the urgency needs to make it into the mainstream. Compliance of a 12-month assault on the media consumers of the world can bring about panic and bring about that urgency. And only then will there be reason for our leaders to want to further their commitment.