The Murdoch Archipelago

Rupert Murdoch is one of the most powerful men in the world today. As chief executive of News International, he controls a global media empire which boasts some of the major players in newspapers, television, publishing and the movie business. In the English-speaking world, and increasingly in ‘untapped’ but potentially lucrative markets such as China, he wields an influence as political kingmaker second to none.
How did he do it? How did this empire, a loose ‘archipelago’ of media islands large and small, come to be so successful and influential? Bruce Page’s extraordinary investigation is the most rigorous analysis yet of the Murdoch empire — tracing it back to Rupert’s father, Sir Keith, and forward to his sons Lachlan and James. Together their stories illustrate the development of a business method which democracies would be foolish to ignore.
Page shows how Murdoch’s approach to the acquisition of influence has benefited from being diluted across three different political cultures — the US, Britain and Australia — even in the media-saturated, global-village culture he has been instrumental in creating. And because of the physical and cultural distances between the three Murdoch has been able to influence political affairs with impunity. Is this a good thing? Bruce Page argues convincingly that it is not, and indeed that it goes against fundamental principles of democracy. Arguing that the freedom of the press is not just in our interest but a matter of life and death, and building on many years’ research and featuring many previously undisclosed revelations, THE MURDOCH ARCHIPELAGO builds a devastating case against the dangers of media monopoly.