Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is fighting back against Democratic US presidential candidate John Edwards and his criticism of the media empire, pointing out that the 2004 vice-presidential nominee was paid $US500,000 ($A580,000) by one of its companies.HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp, paid Edwards that amount as an advance for his book, Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives. The Edwards campaign said the money was donated to charity and that another $US300,000 ($A350,000) for expenses was used to pay researchers and other costs to write the book.
The figures were reported by the Murdoch-owned New York Post today, a day after Edwards challenged his rivals to return political donations from News Corp executives. Edwards said the Fox News Channel, owned by News Corp, has a right-wing bias and "the time has come for Democrats to stop pretending to be friends with the very people who demonise the Democratic Party".