Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch, (1931- ). US publisher and media mogul, born in Australia. The son of a journalist and publisher, Murdoch studied at Oxford and worked on the London Daily Express before returning home to manage the family newspapers (1952). Over the following years he acquired and transformed a series of titles, in each case boosting sales with a down market emphasis on scandal, sport, and populist politics. He be-came a major figure in British publishing by acquiring the News of the World (1969) and The Sun (1970), which became the country’s best-selling daily. Owing to Murdoch’s track record, there was much controversy when he also acquired The Times in 1981. In 1986 he led a technological revolution in British newspaper publishing when he moved production of The Times to a new high-tech plant without a union agreement. During the 1980s Murdoch became increasingly involved in radio, television, film, and book publishing. In 1985, the year he became a US citizen, he acquired the film studio 20th Century-Fox. He launched the satellite TV channel Sky (later British Sky Broadcasting) in 1989. Both Murdoch’s influence on popular standards and the sheer extent of his media empire have provoked some concern.
“Fascism is a religion; the 20th century will be known in history as the century of Fascism.
Benito Mussolini”
