The Murdoch family, a global media dynasty helmed for decades by patriarch Rupert Murdoch, stands as one of the most powerful and controversial forces in modern history. Originating from a single newspaper in Adelaide, Australia, their empire grew to encompass influential television networks, newspapers, and film studios across the United Kingdom and the United States, including Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The Sun. This expansion has granted them unparalleled influence over politics and culture, shaping public discourse and elections for over half a century, a legacy now passed to Rupert’s son, Lachlan, who has taken the reins of the multi-billion-dollar enterprise.
The Architect: The Rise of Rupert Murdoch
The story of the Murdoch empire begins not with immense wealth, but with a modest inheritance and boundless ambition. In 1952, a 21-year-old Keith Rupert Murdoch inherited control of the Adelaide-based The News following the death of his father, Sir Keith Murdoch, a respected Australian journalist and newspaper executive.
While the inheritance provided a starting point, it was Rupert’s aggressive, risk-taking business style that fueled the company’s explosive growth. He quickly adopted a populist, often sensationalist, approach to news, a formula he would replicate with immense success around the world. He expanded his Australian holdings by acquiring and revitalizing struggling newspapers, often engaging in fierce circulation wars.
His strategy was clear: identify undervalued media assets, acquire them, and transform them into profitable, attention-grabbing enterprises. This approach was less about journalistic prestige and more about market domination and influence, a philosophy that would define his entire career.
Building a Global Empire
Murdoch’s ambitions soon extended beyond Australia’s shores. He saw opportunities in larger, more influential markets, setting his sights first on the United Kingdom and then on the ultimate prize: the United States.
Conquering Fleet Street
In 1969, Murdoch burst onto the British media scene with the acquisition of the Sunday tabloid News of the World, followed swiftly by the daily paper, The Sun. He transformed The Sun from a struggling broadsheet into a blockbuster tabloid, known for its provocative headlines, celebrity gossip, and conservative political stance. This formula proved wildly successful, making it Britain’s most-read newspaper.
His influence deepened with the 1981 acquisition of the prestigious but financially troubled Times Newspapers group, which included The Times and The Sunday Times. This move cemented his status as a Fleet Street power broker. It was also marked by a brutal, year-long industrial dispute with print unions in Wapping, where Murdoch moved his operations to break the unions’ power, a watershed moment in British industrial relations.
The American Frontier
In the 1970s, Murdoch began his assault on the American market. He purchased the San Antonio Express-News and later founded the celebrity-focused tabloid, the National Star. His most notable early acquisition was the New York Post in 1976, which he molded into a pugnacious, conservative voice in the city’s competitive media landscape.
To acquire American television stations, Murdoch became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1985, a requirement under federal law. He then purchased 20th Century Fox from oilman Marvin Davis and combined it with the Metromedia television stations to create the Fox Broadcasting Company. For years, Fox was the upstart “fourth network,” challenging the dominance of ABC, CBS, and NBC with edgy programming like The Simpsons and Married… with Children.
The empire’s crown jewel, however, was launched in 1996: the Fox News Channel. Co-founded with television executive Roger Ailes, Fox News was designed to cater to a conservative audience that Murdoch and Ailes believed was underserved by a “liberal” mainstream media. It quickly became a ratings juggernaut and a profoundly influential force in American politics.
Scandal and Restructuring
The 21st century brought both new heights and profound crises. In 2007, Murdoch acquired Dow Jones & Company, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, for a staggering $5.6 billion, adding America’s premier financial newspaper to his collection.
However, the empire was rocked in 2011 by the News International phone-hacking scandal in the UK. Investigations revealed that journalists at News of the World had engaged in widespread illegal phone hacking, targeting celebrities, politicians, and even a murdered schoolgirl. The ensuing public and political firestorm led to the closure of the 168-year-old newspaper, multiple arrests, and parliamentary inquiries that put Rupert and his son James under intense scrutiny.
In the wake of the scandal, and to insulate its more profitable entertainment assets, the company was split in two in 2013. The publishing assets, including the newspapers, became the new News Corp. The broadcast and film assets were spun off into 21st Century Fox. In 2019, in a seismic shift for the media industry, Murdoch sold the majority of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets to The Walt Disney Company for $71.3 billion. The remaining assets, primarily Fox News and the Fox broadcast network, were reorganized into the new Fox Corporation.
The Succession Saga: The Murdoch Heirs
For decades, the question of who would succeed Rupert Murdoch was a topic of intense speculation, often compared to a real-life version of the HBO drama Succession. The primary contenders were his three children from his second marriage to Anna Torv: Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James.
Lachlan Murdoch: The Heir Apparent
Lachlan, the eldest son, was long seen as the natural successor. He rose quickly through the company ranks, becoming chairman and chief executive of News Ltd in Australia and later the publisher of the New York Post. However, in 2005, he abruptly resigned from his executive positions following clashes with senior executives, including Roger Ailes, and his father.
He spent nearly a decade away, building his own successful investment company in Australia. In 2014, he returned to the fold as Co-Chairman of News Corp and 21st Century Fox. With the 2023 announcement of Rupert’s retirement, Lachlan officially took the helm, becoming the sole Chairman of News Corp and the Executive Chair and CEO of Fox Corporation.
James Murdoch: The Rebel
James, the younger son, initially carved a path as a tech-focused rebel, dropping out of Harvard to start a hip-hop record label. He eventually joined News Corporation and proved to be a capable executive, overseeing the company’s Asian and European operations. He was chairman and CEO for Europe and Asia and was heavily involved in the acquisition of Sky.
His trajectory was severely impacted by the phone-hacking scandal, as he was the executive chairman of News International at the time. While cleared of personal wrongdoing, the scandal tarnished his reputation. Over time, his increasingly liberal views on issues like climate change put him at odds with the conservative editorial direction of the family’s key assets, particularly Fox News. In 2020, he resigned from the News Corp board, citing “disagreements over certain editorial content.”
Elisabeth Murdoch: The Independent Producer
Elisabeth Murdoch has enjoyed significant success outside the direct command structure of the family empire. After an early career within the company, she left to found her own television production company, Shine Group, in 2001. She built it into a powerhouse responsible for global hits like MasterChef and The Biggest Loser. In 2011, News Corporation acquired Shine for over $600 million, a move that brought Elisabeth back into the family business but was criticized by some as nepotistic.
Legacy and Future
The Murdoch dynasty’s influence on the global stage is undeniable. Their media outlets have not only reported the news but have actively shaped political narratives. In the UK, their papers championed Margaret Thatcher and later Tony Blair, and were a powerful voice in the campaign for Brexit. In the US, Fox News became a kingmaker in Republican politics, providing a platform that was instrumental in the rise of the Tea Party movement and the political career of President Donald Trump.
With Rupert Murdoch now Chairman Emeritus and Lachlan firmly in control, the empire faces a new era. It must navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing media landscape, marked by the decline of print, the rise of streaming services, and deep political polarization. Lachlan is seen as being even more ideologically aligned with his father’s conservative politics than his brother James, suggesting the powerful editorial voice of the Murdoch media machine is unlikely to soften.
The story of the Murdochs is a sprawling epic of ambition, power, family drama, and controversy. From a single Australian newspaper, they built an empire that could make or break political careers and shape the cultural conversation of nations. As the second generation takes formal control, the world continues to watch, understanding that the decisions made within the Murdoch dynasty will reverberate across the globe for years to come.
