Murdoch's Unrivaled Hold On The Australian Press

By: David Folkenflik | NPR

Step up to any newsstand in Australia, like the one in Melbourne's Central Business District, and ask who Rupert Murdoch is, and you might get an appraisal like this one from Tom Baxter, an officer with a local disability foundation: "Long time in newspapers, ruthless; dedicated to their craft; a global citizen."

In the beachside community of Albert Park, Kate MacFadyen says feelings toward him are complicated. There is pride in the global success of a local boy, but cynicism, too: "In Australia, there are a lot of cities that only have Murdoch press as their newspaper," she says, "so it just feels like his organization dominates the media in this country."