Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch (born 1931) is an Australian-born media magnate. He is the owner of the media conglomerate News Corporation, and is a leading sponsor of material that appeals to conservatives. Some of the better known of the News Corporation's holdings have included the Fox Broadcasting Company (owner of the FOX News Channel), MySpace, TV Guide, Photobucket, the New York Post, HarperCollins, DirecTV, BSkyB, STAR TV, the Weekly Standard, 20th Century Fox film studios, The Times and The Sun (both published in London), The Chicago Sun-Times, The Boston Herald and UK's BSkyB satellite broadcasting system. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1985.[1] Rupert Murdoch is one of the richest people in the world according to Forbes magazine, with an estimated net worth of $7.7 billion.[2]
In 2007, News Corporation purchased Dow Jones for $5 billion. Dow Jones is the parent company of The Wall Street Journal.[3] On July 31, 2007, News Corps finalized the agreement to purchase Dow Jones.
On July 2015, Murdoch passed leadership of Fox over to one of his sons, James.
Political Contributions
Slate reported that since 1997, Republicans have received a slight majority - 56% of the $4.76 million in campaign donations from the Murdoch family and the News Corporation's political action committees and employees.[5] However, Slate also reported in 2008: "Since Democrats won control of Congress in the 2006 elections, the company and its employees have given more than twice as much to Democrats as to Republicans."[6] In recent years, Rupert Murdoch has formed strong relationship with Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. In 2005, he invited musician Bono and Bill Clinton to a company conference on the environment, Islam in the West, and future of the world.
In September 2007, Murdoch's News Corp. announced plans to be carbon neutral by 2010, in an effort to combat global warming. Fox television shows and movies will begin to include environmental topics in the plots to make the public more aware of the issues.
Knighthood
Before Rupert Murdoch left his wife, he was anointed as a member of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great, for his "unblemished character."
Comparisons with Hearst
Murdoch is routinely[7] contrasted[8] with William Randolph Hearst,[9] but this is both easy and misleading since "media barons' stories follow a familiar arc".[10]
References
- ↑ NNDB - Rupert Murdoch
- ↑ Forbes - The 400 Richest Americans: #32 Rupert Murdoch
- ↑ International Herald Tribune Murdoch on owning the Wall Street Journal
- ↑ Democrats Against Hillary.
- ↑ http://www.slate.com/id/2196085/
- ↑ http://www.slate.com/id/2196085/
- ↑ If It Were Hearst Instead of Murdoch..., The New York Times
- ↑ William Randolph Hearst: Mythical media bogeyman, BBC
- ↑ Rupert Murdoch's Newspaper War, Newsweek
- ↑ Murdoch scandal follows classic media baron script, Associated Press
