Till not very long ago, the Murdochs were almost omnipotent in Britain, holding various power structures in their thrall, thanks to the immense clout that their media outlets provided. The Murdoch papers could and did make and break
reputations: it was a brave politician who took on Rupert and his empire, for fear of being attacked in titles like the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World. How distant those days look today. Now an MP can get away by implying that James Murdoch was a “mafia boss” and his journalists and executives were bound by the “Omerta” code of silence. The clear implication is that the company’s top management was not telling the entire truth about the phone hacking scandal, which led to the closure of the 168-year-old News of the World.
It’s another matter that the well-groomed Mr Murdoch Jr bears no resemblance whatsoever to a “Godfather”, and looks more like an accountant or a lawyer. Indeed, it is the senior Murdoch, with his gung-ho, take-no-prisoners style who appears to have more of the tough boss in him. But either way, these are tough times for the company. Shareholders have pilloried them, with one big investor suggesting they get out of the newspaper business entirely. Rupert Murdoch without his newspapers would be Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark, so that might not happen in a hurry. But when mere politicians start insulting you in public, it’s clear the fear factor has long gone, and you are just one more senior media executive.