When Green Day were preparing to release American Idiot – the album that went further than any other mainstream release in criticising the US government, and which went on to sell 12m copies – lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong openly criticised the rightwing media. He singled out Rupert Murdoch's hilarious yet terrifying Fox News Network as the source of his scorn.

In the title track the band mocked the media parade, imploring listeners to "do the propaganda", to "sing along to the age of paranoia". But as Joe Strummer once said, he who fu…sorry, fraternises with nuns "will later join the church". This certainly seems to be the case with Green Day, who last week signed a world exclusive deal with Murdoch's Sun newspaper to stream 21st Century Breakdown, the Californian trio's latest album.

The Sun does paranoia and propaganda better than most. Whether it's celebrating the death of enemy soldiers, vilifying strikers and "scroungers" or raising a fuss about the perversities of Johnny Foreigner, the tabloid invariably has the first word on the lowest common denominator.

21st Century Breakdown – which I have heard and believe will one day be seen as a masterpiece – takes a different stance to Murdoch's red top. It features characters who speak of class war, getting so high they can't stand up, and wearing rubber coats for the nuclear winter. The album contains no songs with titles such as Asylum Seeker Prostitute Beds Hoody With A Woody And Gives Birth To Baby Scrounger With Knives For Hands.

This, of course, is not the end of the world, and anybody with sense knows to trust the art rather than the artist. Just like Bruce Springsteen signing an exclusive deal with the militantly anti-union Wal-Mart chain, Green Day sacrificing integrity for exposure is merely a shame.

But given that 21st Century Breakdown will almost certainly be 2009's bestselling release, it is a decision that is also unnecessary.