A rarely discussed subject is the private life of Rupert Murdoch and his family. The highly secretive senior leadership of the People's Republic of China is better known than the habits and pleasures of the Murdoch clan. For a media magnate whose power is partly based on a relentless invasion and manipulation of others' privacy, the desire to remain out of the public eye is understandable.That's why the recent Ad Week article by Michael Wolff on the Murdoch family crisis is such compelling reading. The article, among other issues, suggests why Rebekah Brooks has such Rasputin-like grip on the Murdochs. Wolff (photo), a knowledgeable New York-based media writer, has written an excellent piece. It's buried in a trade magazine probably because the subject is just too hot for major media outlets to handle.
Frankly, the competition to the Murdoch empire should not be beating its chest too strongly over its coverage of the UK phone hacking scandal. Most American media, with the exception of The New York Times, has largely downplayed coverage of the appalling scale of Murdoch's blackmail operation. This is hardly a surprise. Historically, most American media outlets have conducted character assassination pieces and distorted journalism similar to the Murdoch style. David Halberstam's The Powers That Be, an excellent history of selected American media from post World War II to Watergate, details some of the more egregious media sins. There are plenty of shameful moments to go around; Fox News is hardly unique in this regard.
What's clear for the time being is that the Murdoch media empire is on the defensive. We'll see how long that lasts, before the empire strikes back.
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