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Summary

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Rupert Murdoch built a global media empire spanning newspapers and TV networks across three continents, wielding influence like a puppet master with a press badge. For decades, this billionaire media mogul has been less a legitimate newsman and more a Bond villain in a business suit – stroking his metaphorical cat while orchestrating world affairs from the shadows. Whether it’s Brexit in Britain or presidential politics in America, Murdoch’s fingerprints are all over some of the most divisive right-wing campaigns of our time (Project Syndicate, Stop the Presses). He doesn’t just report the news; he weaponises it for power and profit.

This article pulls no punches in exposing Murdoch’s ruthless agenda, an agenda rooted in racism, fascist-friendly propaganda, and personal profit at any cost, and why he’s a stain on the very idea of a free press.

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A Global Empire Built on Power and Propaganda

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Murdoch’s rise from a small Australian newspaper owner to the head of News Corp and Fox is either a capitalist legend or a cautionary tale. Over a seven-decade career, he amassed outlets in Australia, the UK, and the US, creating a media empire "spanning from Australia to the United States" (Reuters). British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt once said Murdoch "had a defining influence on all of our lives over the last half century."

From The Sun and New York Post to Fox News, Murdoch’s empire has pumped out a rigid, right-wing narrative. Not for ideological conviction – but for control. News, in Murdoch’s world, is not a public service; it’s a political battering ram.

When asked why he opposed the EU, Murdoch allegedly said, "When I go into Downing Street, they do what I say; when I go to Brussels, they take no notice" (The Guardian). Whether or not he actually said it, the sentiment matched his playbook: influence governments or destroy them.

Former UK PM John Major revealed Murdoch explicitly threatened to withdraw media support unless he shifted policy on Europe (The Guardian). That threat became action. The Sun promptly turned on Major, an early and public example of Murdoch’s willingness to swing elections with ink and headlines.

His media dominance has a strategic architecture. In each market, he acquires publications and broadcasters not to report the news but to influence it. In the UK, he controls around one-third of all national newspaper circulation. In Australia, his dominance is even more stark – controlling 70% of print media. In the U.S., Fox News regularly tops cable ratings. The result: millions of people around the world are being drip-fed Murdoch’s preferred version of reality on a daily basis.

Murdoch’s philosophy isn’t subtle. It’s blunt-force propaganda. His tabloids aren’t interested in balance; they’re attack dogs. Headlines are deliberately outrageous, designed to provoke emotional reactions, and feed algorithm-driven virality. It’s outrage as a business model – and he pioneered it before social media caught on.

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Kingmaker and Political Manipulator-in-Chief

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In the UK, Murdoch famously courted Thatcher in secret to push his Times acquisition. Every major PM since has bowed, from Tony Blair’s embarrassing pilgrimage to Australia to David Cameron’s editorial appeasement.

Tony Blair’s relationship with Murdoch was particularly telling. As Labour leader, Blair flew halfway around the world to attend a News Corp conference in Australia to reassure Murdoch that he would not challenge his media empire or policies. Shortly afterward, Murdoch’s papers flipped to support Blair, and he cruised into 10 Downing Street. Coincidence? Not likely. In exchange, Murdoch got deregulation and tax relief, and Blair got favourable headlines. This toxic trade-off between media and politics became standard operating procedure across Murdoch's empire.

In the US, he became a citizen in 1985, not out of patriotism, but to legally buy a TV network. Fox News was born in 1996, masquerading as “fair and balanced” while operating as the PR wing of the GOP.

Murdoch’s Fox transformed Donald Trump from a fringe reality show blowhard into a presidential candidate with a cult following. Trump’s birther lies were platformed on Fox & Friends. His bigotry, incompetence, and conspiracy-fuelled rants were sanitised, endorsed, and even glorified. Fox helped birth the Trump presidency – and the chaos that followed.

Trump wasn’t just enabled by Fox; he was engineered for it. His nightly call-ins, softball interviews, and tweet amplification made him the ideal mascot for a network built on grievance. Fox gave him legitimacy, and in return, Trump gave Fox unrivalled access. It was a closed loop of misinformation and mutual validation.

Murdoch didn’t stop there. In Australia, his News Corp controls 70% of newspaper circulation (Al Jazeera). Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull both accused Murdoch’s media of undermining democracy, promoting extremists, and destabilising elected governments.

The pattern repeats in every region: buy media, build influence, back friendly politicians, smear opponents, dominate the narrative. It’s not journalism – it’s authoritarian influence wrapped in the language of press freedom.

In India, Brazil, and even parts of Eastern Europe, Murdoch-backed outlets have echoed nationalist rhetoric, supporting strongmen who undermine democratic institutions while keeping investors happy. This is not an empire of journalism – it is an empire of manipulation.

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Racism, Hate, and Fear as Business Strategy

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Murdoch’s empire thrives on racial tension. In the UK, The Sun’s Katie Hopkins called migrants “cockroaches” (The Guardian). The UN compared it to Nazi-era dehumanisation.

That wasn’t an outlier. Murdoch's outlets repeatedly published inflammatory, xenophobic content: fabricated stories of refugees assaulting locals, warnings about "floods" of migrants, and outright lies about asylum seekers. It's clickbait racism, delivered daily.

In the US, Fox News has become the spiritual home of the Great Replacement theory, painting immigrants as violent threats to white America. Tucker Carlson and friends pumped out white nationalist talking points with the consistency of a toxic sewage pipe.

Islamophobia? Check. Anti-refugee fearmongering? Absolutely. Anti-Black dog whistles? Constant. It’s not news. It’s hate for hire.

Even during crises – like the COVID-19 pandemic – Murdoch's media spread misinformation, racialised the virus, and attacked minority communities. Fox News downplayed the virus, ridiculed mask-wearing, and aligned itself with anti-vaccine propaganda – all while behind the scenes Murdoch’s companies ensured their own staff followed the science.

It's the ultimate hypocrisy: whip the public into a frenzy, profit from the fear, but protect yourself from the fallout.

The same tactics extended to climate change. Murdoch’s Australian papers and Fox News in the US have consistently downplayed climate science, giving platforms to denialists and turning scientific consensus into “debate.” His outlets have framed climate policy as a “socialist plot” – prioritising corporate profits over planetary survival.

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Trump’s Megaphone, Democracy’s Nightmare

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Fox News under Murdoch wasn’t just biased – it was state media for a wannabe dictator. From the “War on Christmas” to "Pizzagate," Fox manufactured outrage for political gain. But the 2020 election was the tipping point.

Murdoch’s Fox amplified Trump's Big Lie, airing voter fraud claims they knew were false. Murdoch himself admitted under oath that his anchors lied – and he let them (The Guardian).

The result? A $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, and a permanent dent in journalism’s credibility (AP).

And yet, Fox News never really changed. The same cast of characters who spread lies about the election continued on air. In fact, Murdoch replaced those who showed integrity with even more sycophantic figures. Integrity has no home at Fox – only loyalty to the agenda.

Even Murdoch’s own son James resigned from the board over Fox’s climate denial and dangerous editorial choices (The Guardian). When your own heir says you’re morally bankrupt – maybe it’s time to retire. Or implode.

Fox also downplayed the January 6th insurrection, with some hosts suggesting it was just a peaceful protest. The network aired alternate footage to craft a false narrative – while simultaneously fanning more conspiracy theories about Antifa and election tampering. This wasn’t just journalism gone bad – this was full-blown disinformation warfare.

Fox viewers didn’t just hear the lies – they acted on them. Many who stormed the Capitol were Fox devotees, radicalised not in fringe Telegram channels but in living rooms, night after night. The consequences of Murdoch’s lies are not abstract – they are bloody, violent, and real.

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No Ethics, No Shame: Scandals Galore

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Murdoch’s pursuit of power hasn’t just bent ethics – it’s bulldozed them. The News of the World phone hacking scandal shocked even his most hardened critics.

Murdoch’s journalists accessed the voicemails of celebrities, politicians, and even murdered children like Milly Dowler (The Guardian). The public was outraged. Murdoch responded by shutting down the paper – but never taking real accountability.

The scandal revealed not just criminality, but a rotten newsroom culture that Murdoch allowed to fester. Reporters were incentivized to break laws if it meant landing an exclusive. Ethics were optional; scoops were king.

Fox News mirrored this rot. Multiple lawsuits exposed a culture of sexual harassment and intimidation. Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly – both protected until it was too late. Murdoch himself signed off on millions in hush-money settlements.

Even more disturbing, Murdoch’s empire has spied on rivals, blackmailed sources, and used private investigators to dig up dirt on critics. These aren’t isolated incidents. This is a corporate ethos where abuse, intimidation, and manipulation are business tools.

Numerous investigations in the UK and US have uncovered unethical conduct: the targeting of politicians' families, the hacking of medical records, and covert surveillance of journalists. This wasn’t rogue behaviour – it was systemic. The culture came from the top.

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A Stain on Free Press and Democracy

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Murdoch didn’t just undermine governments. He hijacked entire media ecosystems. He blurred the line between opinion and fact, turning serious issues into clickbait wars and reducing journalism to political artillery. The "Murdoch Effect" is global: less trust, more division, more populists, more propaganda.

As one analyst put it after Murdoch’s 2023 retirement: “Fox News amplified toxicity in the US political environment” – and the same is true in the UK and Australia (Reuters).

Murdoch has eroded trust in journalism, weaponised social issues for ratings, and emboldened authoritarian leaders. He hasn’t just reflected the culture war – he’s inflamed it at every opportunity.

In country after country, Murdoch’s influence has led to media deregulation, weakened public broadcasters, and emboldened far-right movements. Politicians fear his wrath; journalists fear his retaliation. He has made a mockery of the idea that a free press supports democracy. Under Murdoch, the press serves one master: Murdoch himself.

Academics, former employees, and political leaders across the globe have called for public inquiries, anti-monopoly laws, and media ethics reform. But so far, the Murdoch machine remains largely untouched – protected by its size, its reach, and its ruthlessness.

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Conclusion: The Real-Life Bond Villain Unmasked

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Rupert Murdoch is often compared to a Bond villain, and frankly, the comparison flatters him. Even Bond’s enemies had ideology. Murdoch’s only ideology is himself. He bullied leaders, weaponised hate, empowered fascists, and laughed all the way to the bank. And the world? It became angrier, more divided, and less democratic. He didn’t just corrupt journalism. He reshaped it in his own image: angry, tribal, dishonest, and dangerous. Let’s not mince words: Rupert Murdoch is a despicable human being. His legacy is not one of innovation or freedom, it’s one of destruction.

The next time you hear a racist dog whistle, a culture war rant, or a conspiracy theory on TV, know this: Murdoch built the platform. He profited from the poison. And now, his empire lives on in the hands of his equally toxic heir. The villain didn’t wear a mask. He wore a suit, and owned the press.

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