A site called Bipartisan Report, which has more than 1 million Facebook followers, posted a story claiming that the London offices of 21st Century Fox had been raided by the European Commission.
“BREAKING: Fox’s London Offices Were Just Raided & The Reason Will Infuriate You,” the headline ran, prompting dubious Facebook users to report the article as potential poppycock.
While the blog post is peppered with some opinion, the facts as stated are correct. On Tuesday, the European Commission executed an “unannounced inspection” of the offices of several companies due to “concerns that the companies involved may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices,” a press release from the Commission states.
The inspection comes during Fox’s extended bid to take over Sky PLC, which some suggest plays a larger part in Disney’s proposed deal to purchase much of 21st Century Fox.
Fox Network Group provided a statement that it was “cooperating fully with the EC inspection,” offering no further details.
The EU Commission made it clear that the inspection “does not mean that the companies are guilty of anti-competitive behaviour” but are simply part of an ongoing investigation.
Contrary to Facebook-user skepticism, the blog post from Bipartisan Report is correct.
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