Love him or hate him, Rupert Murdoch has left an indelible mark on journalism. The Australian-born media tycoon began running publications in the UK (The Sun and The Times), Australia (The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, and The Australian), and the US (The Wall Street Journal and New York Post). He also runs book publisher HarperCollins and television broadcasting channels Sky News Australia, and Fox News. Murdoch was also the owner of Sky, 21st Century Fox, and the now-defunct News Of The World.
Many of Murdoch’s papers and television channels have been accused of biased and misleading coverage to support his business interests and political allies. Murdoch formed a close alliance with Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, and The Sun credited itself with helping elect her successor, John Major. Murdoch and his youngest son, James, were required to give testimony when the News Of The World and other Murdoch-owned British papers were accused of phone hacking, police bribery, and other improper conduct in pursuit of stories. A parlimentary select committee concluded that Murdoch “exhibited willful blindness to what was going on in his companies and publications” and stated that he was “not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company.”
He’s been married four times. In 2022, reports claimed that he and Jerry Hall were splitting after six years of marriage, marking his fourth divorce.
