Rupert Murdoch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rupert Murdoch
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Murdoch in 2012
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| Born |
Keith Rupert Murdoch
11 March 1931 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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| Citizenship |
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| Education | Worcester College, Oxford (BA) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1952−2023 |
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| Board member of |
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| Spouse(s) |
Patricia Booker
(m. 1956; div. 1967)Anna Maria Torv
(m. 1967; div. 1999)Wendi Deng
(m. 1999; div. 2013)Elena Zhukova
(m. 2024) |
| Children | 6, including Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James |
| Parent(s) |
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| Family | Murdoch family |
Keith Rupert Murdoch (born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. He built a huge media empire through his company News Corp. This empire includes hundreds of publishing outlets around the world.
Some of his well-known media properties include The Sun and The Times in the UK. In Australia, he owns The Daily Telegraph and The Australian. In the US, he owns The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. He also owns the book publisher HarperCollins and TV channels like Sky News Australia and Fox News.
Murdoch's father, Keith Murdoch, died in 1952. Rupert then took over a small newspaper in Adelaide, Australia, called The News. In the 1950s and 1960s, he bought many newspapers in Australia and New Zealand. He then expanded into the United Kingdom in 1969. In 1974, Murdoch moved to New York City to grow his business in the US.
In 1985, he became a US citizen. This was needed to own US television networks. By 2000, Murdoch's News Corporation owned over 800 companies in more than 50 countries. He retired as chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp. in September 2023.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Keith Rupert Murdoch was born on 11 March 1931 in Melbourne, Australia. He was the second of four children. His parents were Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch and Dame Elisabeth Joy (Greene). His father was a war correspondent and later owned many newspapers.
Murdoch went to Geelong Grammar School. He was involved in the school's journals. He later studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Worcester College, Oxford, in England. While at Oxford, he was known as "Red Rupert." He was also a member of the Oxford University Labour Party.
After his father died in 1952, Murdoch worked as a sub-editor for the Daily Express for two years. His mother, Dame Elisabeth, did a lot of charity work. She even started the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
Building a Media Empire
When his father died, Rupert Murdoch was 21. He returned from Oxford to manage the family business. He made the Adelaide newspaper, The News, very successful. He then started buying other newspapers.
Expanding in Australia and New Zealand
Murdoch bought the Sunday Times in Perth in 1956. Over the next few years, he bought many local newspapers. He also bought the Sydney newspaper The Daily Mirror in 1960. He made his newspapers more popular by adding more sports and scandal stories. He also used eye-catching headlines.
His first step outside Australia was buying a share in the New Zealand newspaper The Dominion. In 1964, he launched The Australian, which was Australia's first national daily newspaper. In 1972, he bought the Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph. In 1984, he was recognized for his services to publishing.
Entering the UK Market
In 1968, Murdoch bought the British newspaper News of the World. In 1969, he bought The Sun. He changed The Sun to a smaller, tabloid size. This helped reduce printing costs. By 1997, The Sun had 10 million daily readers. In 1981, he bought Times and Sunday Times.
In 1986, Murdoch brought new electronic printing methods to his UK newspapers. This led to fewer employees being needed. This caused a big dispute with print unions. Many workers were dismissed, leading to protests.
Murdoch's satellite TV network, Sky Television, lost a lot of money at first. But he merged it with another company, British Satellite Broadcasting, in 1990. The new company, BSkyB, became very successful in British pay-TV.
Growing in the United States
Murdoch first bought a US newspaper, the San Antonio Express-News, in 1973. In 1974, he moved to New York City. He started Star, a supermarket tabloid, and bought the New York Post in 1976.
In 1985, Murdoch bought television stations that became the start of the Fox Broadcasting Company. Fox later became famous for shows like The Simpsons. In 1996, Murdoch launched the Fox News Channel, a 24-hour news station. This channel became very popular.
In 2004, Murdoch moved News Corporation's main office from Australia to the United States. This made it easier for American investors to buy shares in his company. In 2007, Murdoch bought Dow Jones & Company, which owns The Wall Street Journal.
In 2019, Disney bought most of Murdoch's company, 21st Century Fox. However, Murdoch still owns Fox Corporation, which includes Fox News. In September 2023, Rupert Murdoch retired. He handed over leadership of his businesses to his eldest son, Lachlan.
Political Influence
Murdoch's newspapers and TV channels have often been accused of having a bias. They are sometimes said to support his business interests or political friends. His influence has been linked to major political events in the UK, US, and Australia.
Influence in Australia
Murdoch's newspaper The Australian supported Sir John McEwen's political party. Later, Murdoch supported the Australian Labor Party leader Gough Whitlam. However, his support for Whitlam was short-lived.
In 2007, Murdoch said he would not comment on Australian politics. He said his journalists and editors would decide what to publish. He has supported the idea of Australia becoming a republic.
Influence in the United Kingdom
In the 1980s, Murdoch worked closely with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. His newspapers, like The Sun, often supported her. The Sun even claimed it helped John Major win the 1992 election.
Later, Murdoch's papers supported the Labour Party leader, Tony Blair. The close relationship between Murdoch and Blair became a political issue. However, The Sun later switched its support to David Cameron's Conservative Party.
In 2016, The Sun supported the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union (Brexit). Murdoch called the Brexit result "wonderful."
Influence in the United States
Murdoch's media often supports free market ideas. They also tend to oppose what they see as liberal bias in other media. The New York Post supported Edward I. Koch when he ran for mayor of New York.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan's team believed Murdoch and the Post helped him win in New York. Reagan later allowed Murdoch to own both a TV station and a newspaper in the same city.
In 2010, News Corporation gave a lot of money to political groups. Murdoch also supports more open immigration policies in Western countries. He believes this can help boost the economy.
During Donald Trump's time as US President, Murdoch's media, including Fox News, often supported him. In 2023, during a lawsuit, Murdoch admitted that some Fox News commentators had supported false claims about the 2020 election. Fox News later settled the lawsuit for a large sum of money.
Family and Personal Life
Residences
Murdoch owns several large homes. In 2003, he bought an 11-bedroom home in Centre Island, New York. In 2013, he bought a vineyard and winery in Bel Air, Los Angeles. In 2019, he bought an 18th-century estate in England.
Marriages and Children
Murdoch has been married five times and has six children.
- In 1956, he married Patricia Booker. They had one child, Prudence, born in 1958. They divorced in 1967.
- In 1967, he married Anna Torv. They had three children: Elisabeth (born 1968), Lachlan Murdoch (born 1971), and James Murdoch (born 1972). They divorced in 1999.
- In 1999, he married Wendi Deng. They had two daughters: Grace (born 2001) and Chloe (born 2003). They divorced in 2013.
In 2016, he married former model Jerry Hall. They divorced in 2022.
- In June 2024, Murdoch married Elena Zhukova, a retired scientist.
Murdoch has 13 grandchildren. His children are involved in his media businesses. His eldest son, Lachlan, now leads News Corp and Fox Corp.
Succession Court Case
The Murdoch family is involved in a court case in Nevada. Rupert Murdoch wants to change the family trust. This change would ensure that his eldest son, Lachlan, keeps control of News Corp and Fox Corp. However, his three older children, Elisabeth, Prudence, and James, are challenging this. The original trust was set up to give all children from his first two marriages an equal say in the business after his death.
Wealth and Influence
Rupert Murdoch is one of the richest people in the world.
- In 2014, Forbes estimated his wealth at $13.7 billion.
- In 2016, Forbes ranked "Rupert Murdoch & Family" as the 35th most powerful people in the world.
- As of March 2024, Forbes ranked Murdoch and his family as the 100th richest in the world, with a net worth of $19.5 billion.
Some people have said that Murdoch has had a huge impact on the world. For example, a former Australian prime minister said Murdoch has had more influence than any other living Australian.
In Arts and Media
Rupert Murdoch has been a character or inspiration in many films and TV shows.
- In 1999, the TV show The Chimp Channel featured a character named Harry Waller. He was a media owner and was thought to be a parody of Murdoch.
- The 2004 movie Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism accused Fox News of bias.
- The TV show Succession (2018–2023) has a main character, Logan Roy, who was partly inspired by Murdoch.
Murdoch has been played by several actors:
- Barry Humphries in Selling Hitler (1991)
- Ben Mendelsohn in Black and White (2002)
- Simon McBurney in The Loudest Voice (2019)
- Malcolm McDowell in Bombshell (2019)
He even played himself on The Simpsons twice!
There are also books and songs about him. The novel The Fourth Estate (1996) features a character based on Murdoch. The band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard wrote a song about him called "Evilest Man."
See Also
In Spanish: Rupert Murdoch para niños
- Murdoch family
- List of assets owned by News Corp
