Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has joined Twitter, and on his first day offered opinions on subjects including the US presidential election, the Oscars race and Steve Jobs.
Users of the popular microblogging site were initially suspicious that an account opened by one ‘Rupert Murdoch’ on New Year's Eve may be fake. But its authenticity was confirmed by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey who said: "With his own voice, in his own way, @RupertMurdoch is now on Twitter."
Within 24 hours, the 80-year-old News Corp chairman and chief executive had amassed more than 26,000 followers, The Daily Telegraph online reported.
During that time he sent out over a dozen tweets, first being "Have just. Read The Rational Optimist. Great book." He later noted the ‘huge appeal’ of US presidential candidate Ron Paul's libertarian message, and said it was good to see Rick Santorum surging in Iowa.
He said: "Regardless of policies, all debates showed principles, consistency and humility like no other." Murdoch also appeared to have watched several films over the festive period, stating that he loved "We Bought a Zoo." He said George Clooney deserved an Oscar for his performance in ‘The Descendants.’ The media mogul also said that a biography of Steve Jobs had been ‘interesting but unfair’, and revealed his opinion that Alexander Hamilton was the ‘best man never elected president’.
However, Murdoch did not share any thoughts on the phone hacking scandal with his followers. His appearance on Twitter was not welcomed by all. Lord Prescott, former deputy prime minister of Britain, said: "Hey @rupertmurdoch. I'm surprised you're only following two people. The police said it was at least 800."