Panorama

Who's Afraid of Rupert Murdoch? (1981x7)

: 16, 1981

At 49, the Australian millionaire is set to become one of the world s most powerful press tycoons. His critics say he makes and breaks politicians, he fires editors who don't fit, and relies on sex and scandal to sell some of his newspapers. He is derided as ' the Dirty Digger' as a result of his page three nudes in The Sun, yet hailed as the brilliant saviour of our ailing press. In Britain his controversial bid for The Times, its supplements and The Sunday Times, have led to unprecedented legal safeguards for editorial freedom. Elwyn Parry-Jones accompanies Rupert Murdoch on a visit to his Australian newspapers, talks to his critics and supporters and from New York reports on a bitter newspaper war prompted by Murdoch's brash tactics.