Many elevate dear old Mr Murdoch to being the saviour of British newspaper publishing whilst avoiding the obvious calamitites his leadership has wrought.

I now put some realities to the readers:

1. there were as many newspapers being published in the UK in 1900 as the were in 2011.
In 2012 there is one less : the News Of The World, now replaced by the Sun On Sunday, so no change there.

2. Myths perpetuate that Murdoch somehow invented the gossipy format and does it the best. Surely the Daily Mail is by far the best and a Manchester newspaper in the late 1800s began gossipy investigations as well as serious investigative reporting under William Stead who went to jail for it.

3. Murdoch inherited a newspaper in Australia (where he was and is regarded as joke and spiteful man)and increased it's circulation. But so did all other newspapers there, not owned by him, increase circulation in similar numbers.

$. On the downside he has debased British newspapers and brought scandal upon all the innocents who work on them
Plus the Iraq War..a cheerleader. Wapping, Thatcher, the Miners.

I don't mind being corrected.

I don't disagree with many of your points, Hedda - however, having worked for the man and experienced many positive sides, I simply say don't over stress any aspects ahead of others.

We are all a mix of good and bad.

For me, in balance, Rupert has done far more good than harm.

I fully agree that he appears to be a most charming man.

There is saying that was around in the 1930s thru 60s that is totally unconnected to this subject.

"beware the smooth talking, down to earth, innocent looking Aussie con-man. The most dangerous of predators..and beware the one from New Zealand..twice as dangerous"

Again I don't deny he's been ruthless and opportunist; some might consider those essential abilities in a tycoon; after all, he's not setting himself up as a moral guide; leave that to the Pope and Bob Geldof.

You see, I don't even see phone hacking (apart from when it breaks the law) as evil or wicked; simply a clever way (if legal, which it originally was) to gain information. I always assumed my lines were tapped and mail intercepted; par for the celebrity course. So, if I was breaking the law (by having a sexual relationship with another male, for example) I didn't discuss it on phone or in writing.

If I had, and had been exposed in the 60s News of the World (pre Murdoch and just as nasty), I'd have blamed myself.

Sadly, still missing (avoided) are some main points?

Not least in a democratic fair & balanced press-media, why isn't dubious Rupe's private life daily double-spread wide for multi-millions to trash ?

From 4 October 1952 ongoing unchecked, the unelected, tax-avoiding billionaire Rupe more than any before or since has dragged an already polluted so called 'Democratic' OZ/UK/US press-media and politics down in a race-to-the bottom of unprecedented Mob Rule depths of prurience and ignorance.

All for greed, ratings and profit, he would be more honest just dealing drugs or porn, NOT in the Public Interest nor for Public Protection.

E.G. Rupe's current U.S. 'Fox (FIX) TV-News' laughable motto is 'Fair & Balanced", while as any streetwise kid knows, spotting a lying thug-spiv at 50 yards, " Watchout ! When they tell one, they tell a BIGGUN !"

And the fear engendered in all other fawning press-media just by his very name is still evident now, after a long-year of Leveson. For still not rerun, mainstream omitted/CENSORED since 7 October 1997 is media-monster Rupe's callous, inhuman retort from the safety of Adelaide, when asked of his regrets at 3 young people dead-by-tabloid including a globally loved young woman leaving 2 young children motherless, one of whom UK future King,

" MY ONLY REGRET IS THAT I PAID TOO MUCH FOR SOME PHGOTOS !"

While as ever, well ahead of Mob-Rule Rupe is his nemesis, fellow countryman - now mainstream marginalized & muted/(no surprise); the ever peerless Pilger, 1998:
themurdochempireanditsnestofvipers.blogs...-mirror-murdoch.html