Jane Fonda says she'll be "so angry" at federal regulators if they approve an acquisition of Time Warner by Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, blasting the media mogul's news outlets for "unconscionable" coverage.
"I think it would be a catastrophe," said the 76-year-old actress, former wife of CNN founder Ted Turner and onetime anti-war activist who was derided as
"Hanoi Jane" for a controversial 1972 visit to North Vietnam.
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"If [the acquisition] happens, I'm going to be so angry at the [Federal Communications Commission]. They cannot let that happen," she told
The Wrap.
"It's no secret that Rupert uses his media outlets for political reasons," she added. "And he is not neutral. And he, you know, his new outlets do things that are unconscionable. And it just cannot happen that he becomes that much of a dominant force in American media."
Murdoch – whose media empire includes Fox News – and 21st Century Fox submitted an $80 billion bid in June to acquire rival media conglomerate Time Warner, but was unsuccessful.
He may
still pursue the deal, however.
"Oh! It would be terrible," Fonda said, adding that CNN has been up against "stations that play to the lowest common denominator."
"And so, a lot of people watch the ones that are 'infotainment.' I still watch CNN, but it's not quite where it used to be, I fear," she said.
Fonda has won an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of the owner of a fictional media empire on HBO's "The Newsroom" – her second nomination for the role. The series' third and last season begins this fall.
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