(Image: PrivateMedia)

After Crikey’s special edition looking into the relationship between Murdoch media and US President Donald Trump, we put some questions to those who might be able to influence Murdoch’s reign. We didn’t receive a lot in response.

So, we asked again.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese was asked whether it was time for the government to act, whether Labor would ban Rupert Murdoch from entering Australia, whether media organisations had become too powerful and should be broken up, and if outlets should be held responsible in their role of hosting misinformation.

A spokesperson from Albanese’s office referred Crikey to Labor communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland, who was asked the same questions.

A spokesperson from Rowland’s office then referred Crikey to shadow assistant minister for communications Tim Watts. His office did not respond by deadline.

A spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack referred Crikey to “the very clear statements” McCormack had made on censorship this week.

McCormack criticised Twitter and other social media sites for suspending Trump’s accounts following the Capitol Hill riot, saying the sites didn’t act when a doctored image of an Australian soldier threatening a child was shared by a Chinese official.

“There’s been a lot of people who have said and done a lot of things on Twitter previously that haven’t received that sort of condemnation or indeed censorship. But I’m not one who believes in that sort of censorship,” McCormack said on Monday.

Yesterday a spokesperson for Communications Minister Paul Fletcher told Crikey he would not be commenting, while a spokesperson for Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that chair Rod Sims was on leave, and that quotes from Sims featured in articles about the power of tech giants published today had been made before Christmas.

We will update tomorrow.