The Media and Australian Democracy

1
The Media and Australian Democracy

• Case Study Rupert Murdoch

2
The Fourth Estate

• The media as powerful as a branch of govt
• Informing the public
• Holding govt accountable
• Setting the agenda
• Objectivity

3
Sir Keith Murdoch

• War and the
• Fourth Estate
• censorship,
• nationalism
• Lack of formal
• qualifications
• Letter to Fisher
• See Phillip Knightley, The First Casualty

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5
Murdoch CEO

• Keith Murdoch Melbourne Herald editor 1920,
  launches tabloid
• Becomes manager of the Herald and Weekly Times
  group.
• Rupert born 1931, Geelong Grammar, Oxford
• 1952 RM inherits Adelaide News

6
Party Games

• Fairfaxes, Packers, HWT dominate mass media
  ownership Murdoch the outsider
• Governments favour incumbent interests Menzies
  Govt unhelpful to Murdoch
• Seeks expansion overseas London 1968, NY, 1974
• See Bridget Griffen-Foley, Party Games

7
The Australian

• Established 1964
• Opposed the Vietnam War
• Supported Whitlam 1972
• Ignored by Whitlam Government
• Backed Coalition 1975 partisan coverage provokes
  strike

8
1980s

• NewsCorp becomes global giant
• Murdoch relinquishes Aust citizenship
• Union-busting with Maggie
• At home, Labor introduces cross-media laws 1986,
  NewsCorp left with 60 of metro daily circulation

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10
From Mogul to Corporation

• Always wants family ownership needs debt
• Capitalist motivation profit and power
• Murdoch the hands-on publisher
• Succession problems
• Leaves ASX 2004

11
Murdoch and Australian Democracy

• Murdoch the mogul
• Murdoch the partisan
• Murdoch the monopolist
• Murdoch the journalist