★★★★★ 0/5

Airdate: Murdoch: Breaking the Spell?

BBC’s Panorama looks at how Rupert Murdoch's influence has been dramatically challenged by the hacking scandal.

6
Leave a comment

This Sunday night SBS will screen Murdoch: Breaking the Spell? a UK documentary by BBC’s Panorama that looks at Rupert Murdoch’s influence on British politics, and how it has been dramatically challenged by the hacking scandal.

BYO shaving cream…

For decades, one man has wielded extraordinary power over the British media, politicians  and even police officers. Now, after revelations of the phone hacking scandal and an alleged  culture of illegality at the News of the World, Rupert Murdoch, and his company News  International, stand accused of corrupting British life.

In Murdoch: Breaking the Spell?, BBC’s Panorama looks at how Rupert Murdoch grew his empire to become one of the most powerful men in Britain, and tells the inside story of how the media giant’s influence has been dramatically challenged.

Rupert Murdoch’s first step toward building his global empire began when he bought the News of the World at age 37. He then went on the buy The Sun, The Times, and the Sunday Times as well. After he had built a huge stake in the British press, he made his move into television, launching the pay TV satellite station Sky. Under the Thatcher government, Murdoch controlled 40 per cent of the British media.

With such control came power. Murdoch: Breaking the Spell? explores the influence Rupert Murdoch and his empire had on British politics, and how it exercised its power in many ways, including through scandal. Stories about people’s private lives could destroy reputations and careers and News of the World was the master of getting the latest scoop.

Murdoch: Breaking the Spell? looks at how the phone hacking scandal has unfolded, and how the police have seemingly failed to investigate what many ‘off the record’ have claimed to be common practice within the once highest selling English language newspaper.

In the last few weeks, public opinion and the entire British political establishment have rounded on News International. After weeks of resignations, revelations, apologies and arrests, Britain’s most powerful media baron is now fighting to save his reputation.

It airs 9:30pm Sunday on SBS ONE.

6 Responses

  1. This should be interesting, i know i will certainly watch. I am facinated and discgusted by the man. On one hand i think it is amazing that he managed to build an empire in the city of churches Adelaide. But iam also angry and disgusted at the abuse and minipulation that has gone on, and putting money above everything else.

  2. Murdoch is the de facto leader of Britain, India, Italy as Sky news dominates there.He also is the leader in Australia and the US when they have right wing leaders in power, and he leads the opposition in Austrlai and the US throuigh his right wing newspapers and television.Look how channel 10 is changing with
    Lachlan Murdoch as the acting CEO.Andrew Bolt gets a time slot to spew his revolting theories.Even the US doen’t have anyone like him with his own show on free to air television.

  3. @Kenny & jonno. You’re both right.
    The bias and manipulation of the media in this country is an absolute disgrace and Murdoch is behind much of it. Why are our journos so bereft of spine?

  4. @jonno – Nor is he an Australian citizen (any more). One of the later James Bond movies was so close to being modelled on him, ‘though all involved denied it at the time. Sometimes fact is better than fiction.

  5. Will be watching this. His power must be broken in Australia. He has 70 % of the Australian newspaper market. He no longer is an Australian resident and his newspapers campaign for regime change. He is not an elected polititian but tries to run the country. Let the voters decide who governs and just report the news. Opinion columns are fine but campaighns are not.

Leave a Reply