Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch (born March 11, 1931) is an Australian-American media proprietor who built one of the world's most influential media empires. Beginning with his inheritance of his father's small Adelaide newspaper in 1952, Murdoch expanded aggressively across Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, acquiring major outlets including The Times, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox News. Through News Corporation and later 21st Century Fox, he accumulated extraordinary control over global media, shaping political discourse and popular culture across multiple continents for over six decades. His business practices and editorial influence have been highly controversial, generating both admiration for his entrepreneurial acumen and criticism for his impact on journalism standards and democratic processes. Major scandals, including the News of the World phone-hacking controversy of 2011, have repeatedly brought his empire under legal and parliamentary scrutiny. Despite numerous controversies, Murdoch's influence on global media, politics, and business remains profound. His legacy represents one of the most consequential examples of how individual media ownership can shape public opinion and political outcomes on a worldwide scale.