Rupert Murdoch
Summary
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG (pronounced /ˈruːpət ˈməːdɒk/; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born global media magnate and the founder, chairman, and CEO of News Corporation.
His business interests span four continents and include national newspapers, TV networks and movie production companies.
Beginning with one newspaper in Adelaide, Murdoch acquired and started other publications in his native Australia before expanding News Corp. into the United Kingdom, United States and Asian media markets. Although it was in Australia in the late 1950s that he first dabbled in television, he later launched BSkyB in the UK, the country's first satellite network. Murdoch's first permanent foray into TV was in the USA, where he created Fox Broadcasting Company in 1986.
His passion for media and investment is undimmed in the 21st century, which has seen him buy Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones in a $5 billion deal, and also the launch of The Daily, a US-based iPad-only newspaper.
A staunch critic of Google and the ad-supported digital media economy, Murdoch announced in 2009 that the entirety of his print-based media titles would start charging for access to their website, which had hitherto been available for free. The Times of London was the first free-to-air online publisher to introduce a "paywall" in the summer of 2010.
Picture from Flickr, courtesy of World Economic Forum, on a Creative Commons Licence.
Latest Rupert Murdoch News RSS Feed
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Leveson inquiry: make political lying a criminal offence, says Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne, the Daily Telegraph columnist, has told the Leveson inquiry that "political lying" should be made a criminal offence for both politicians and journalists reporting on Westminster.
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Wapping finds a buyer now that the fortess has become a village
According to NI's paper, The Times, the east London site is on the verge of being acquired by Berkeley Group, one of Britain's largest house builders.
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No End in Sight to Inquiry Into Murdoch’s Media Empire
The scandal that has shaken Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire is now the focus of three Scotland Yard inquires and more than 100 civil lawsuits.
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Leveson inquiry: Jack Straw used to gossip with Rebekah Brooks
Former justice secretary reveals he regularly arranged to meet the then Sun editor as they made the same train journey.
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Rebekah Brooks charges take the phone-hacking scandal to a new level
The decision to charge Rebekah Brooks with perverting the course of justice is a landmark moment in a scandal with a seemingly endless catalogue of landmark moments - and a further pointer to the unprecedented nature of an affair stretching back almost six years.
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Judge comes down hard on publishers, Apple in e-book case
In a strongly worded opinion, US District Judge Denise Cote rejected requests by Apple and five book publishers to throw out a class action suit that accuses them of price-fixing.
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Leveson inquiry: Adam Boulton says Brown's pyjama party was 'bonkers'
Sky News presenter could not believe the then prime minister 'indulged' in such intimacy and it would 'end in tears'.
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Life is tweet, says John Prescott, as Twitter reaches 10m milestone
Twitter has helped shift the balance of media power from press barons to the people – a true champagne moment.
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Leveson inquiry: Jeremy Hunt, adviser and lobbyist to appear in next fortnight
Culture secretary, Adam Smith and News Corp's Frédéric Michel to give evidence on BSkyB bid.
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Morning Brief: Rebekah Brooks to be charged in hacking case; Human Rights Law Review details wrongful execution in Texas; Greek party leaders meet in last-ditch effort to form coalition government
The former head of News International, the British division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. , is to be charged today with obstructive of justice – as in Watergate, it is the cover-up that gets you.
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