{UAH} Rupert Murdoch apologises after suggesting Barack Obama is not a 'real black president'

Rupert Murdoch apologises after suggesting Barack Obama is not a 'real black president'

Billionaire media mogul posted the offending comment to Twitter when announcing his admiration for Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson

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Rupert Murdoch Photo: Getty Images

By David Lawler, Washington

3:42PM BST 08 Oct 2015

Rupert Murdoch apologised on Thursday after suggesting that President Barack Obama was not a "real black president".

The billionaire media mogul posted the offending comment to Twitter when discussing his admiration for Ben Carson, a Republican and the only black candidate in the 2016 presidential race

Rupert Murdoch 

✔@rupertmurdoch

Ben and Candy Carson terrific. What about a real black President who can properly address the racial divide? And much else.

8:59 PM - 7 Oct 2015

 
•  1,5451,545 Retweets
 
•  1,3861,386 favorites

One hour later, apparently in order to clarify the qualifications of a "real black president", Mr Murdoch wrote:

Rupert Murdoch 

✔@rupertmurdoch

Read New York magazine for minority community disappointment with POTUS

9:04 PM - 7 Oct 2015

 
•  195195 Retweets
 
•  192192 favorites

The tweets sparked near-instantaneous backlash.

"Can you please regularly advise black Americans on which of them is 'real', so they'll be free of doubt?" wrote Simpsons star Harry Shearer.

Other Twitter users mockingly asked Mr Murdoch to clarify whether they were, in fact, "really black".

Mr Murdoch, 84, apologised some 12 hours after his original post.

Rupert Murdoch 

✔@rupertmurdoch

Apologies! No offence meant. Personally find both men charming.

8:14 AM - 8 Oct 2015

 
•  255255 Retweets
 
•  168168 favorites

It is not the first time Mr Murdoch has drawn a contrast between Mr Obama and Mr Carson.

"2 stories," he wrote in September. "Carson, Detroit ghetto to brilliant neurosurgeon. Obama white upbringing to community organizer. Sincere men, different values."

Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson speaks to the crowd during a campaign rally held at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor  Photo: Barcroft Media

Mr Murdoch has courted controversy on Twitter on previous occasions.

He wrote in 2014 that Egyptian people were "white", and historically "treated blacks as slaves".

He made the comments in defence of the casting of Exodus: Gods and Kings, the 2014 film that tells the story of Moses in ancient Egypt.

"Moses film attacked on Twitter for all white cast," he wrote. "Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are."

He followed up with a defence of his original Tweet: "Everybody attacks last tweet. Of course Egyptians are Middle Eastern, but far from black. They treated blacks as slaves."

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

"But this I know, UPC believed and still believes in

very high education. We can call Obote all bad names we have, but the bottom line remains that he got more scholarships for Buganda than all previous Uganda leaders combined. That includes Sir Edward Mutesa, President Lule, President Binayisa, up to and into Ssabasajja Mutebi. Who all happen to be Baganda leaders." Mulindwa

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