Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch is a prominent media mogul and former business magnate.

He is the founder of News Corp, a massive global media company. Through this organization, he has owned hundreds of publishing outlets. These include newspapers, book publishers, and television broadcasting channels. Because of his immense wealth and influence over politics, some describe him as an oligarch. An oligarch is a person with significant power due to their wealth.

His media empire has reached almost every corner of the globe.

Murdoch's career began in Australia following the death of his father.

His father, Sir Keith Murdoch, was a newspaper magnate and war correspondent. After his father died in 1952, Murdoch took over the family business. He was only 21 years old at the time. He started by running The News, a small newspaper in Adelaide. He eventually turned this small asset into a major success. This success provided the foundation for his future global expansion.

His expansion followed a specific pattern of acquiring existing media companies. In the 1950s and 1960s, he bought several newspapers in Australia and New Zealand. He was known for inventing a modern style of tabloid journalism. This style used eye-catching headlines and more coverage of sports and scandal. In 1964, he successfully fought a four-way battle to control a New Zealand daily. He also launched The Australian, which was the country's first national daily newspaper. These moves helped him build a dominant position in the Southern Hemisphere.

Murdoch later expanded his reach into the United Kingdom and the United States.

In 1969, he acquired the News of the World and The Sun. He moved to New York City in 1974 to enter the American market. To satisfy legal requirements for owning American television networks, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1985. He later acquired major American assets like the Wall Street Journal in 2007.

His company also grew through the acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox and HarperCollins.

By the year 2000, the scale of his business was enormous. News Corporation owned more than 800 companies. These businesses operated in more than 50 different countries. At that time, the company had a net worth of more than $5 billion.

This massive network included television channels like Sky News Australia and Fox News. His reach allowed him to influence major political developments in several nations. This scale of operation is rare in the history of global media.

However, Murdoch's influence has also led to significant controversy and legal challenges. In 2011, his companies faced allegations regarding phone hacking. It was alleged that the News of the World hacked the phones of celebrities and royalty. This led to police and government investigations in the United Kingdom. He also faced investigations by the FBI in the United States. Following these events, Murdoch resigned as a director of News International in 2012. Many of his outlets have also been accused of right-wing bias. Critics argue his media often supports specific political allies.

In recent years, the leadership of his empire has begun to shift. In September 2023, Murdoch announced he was stepping down as chairman. He left his roles at both Fox Corp and News Corp. This transition involved a legal dispute within his own family. His three children challenged his plan for the family trust. They wanted the trust to benefit all six of his children equally. However, a settlement was reached in September 2025. This settlement gave his eldest son, Lachlan, ownership of the media empire.

This marks the end of an era for the Murdoch family business.