How do you create a dynasty? What does it cost and who pays the price? Journalist, war correspondent, husband, father, media magnate, empire builder – the enigmatic figure of Keith Murdoch is
brought to life in this fascinating account, with Tom Roberts debunking the myths and bringing to light events and connections that, until now, have remained hidden. Before Rupert is a
boldly original prequel to the saga of the Murdoch family’s rise and exercise of power through its media. In a quest to understand the Murdoch mythology, Tom Roberts traces the origins of the
Murdoch family’s involvement with the media, their inspiration and the genesis of their power. With both respect and fear of the family bound into the Murdoch media’s corporate psyche, how
have the Murdochs risen to this position of gate-keeping authority over public debate and the political landscape – and from what? Roberts draws on an unparalleled range of interviews,
correspondence and archival sources across continents to paint a true picture of Keith Murdoch. Highlighting the contemporary parallels, Keith’s story is told through the prism of theNews
of the World phone-hacking scandal and the events in its wake. With controversial revelations, the book shows how, by the time of Rupert’s birth, a pattern for the ruthless exercise of
power through an expanding media chain had been set – a course that is still followed to this day. Keith Murdoch accrued his power through navigating ruthlessly a network of connections and
exploiting the hidden intersection of press and power. The Murdoch family maintain his legacy not only in its sense of duty to act through, but also its entitlement to possess and wield, the
power of the media.
