Five Australians: The rise of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 1967

REPORTER: The young, brash Oxford graduate must have caused some amusement when he first joined the News Limited board. Newspaper men aren't soft, and young Rupert certainly didn't look very hard, with his round face and Socialist ideals. However, violent tremors soon were felt all over conservative Adelaide, when it became known just how single-minded Murdoch could be. Since 1952, the year in which he took over, the empire has driven west of Perth and as far north as Hong Kong, via Alice Springs and Darwin. In Melbourne, Murdoch controls Southdown Press and The Truth, while there's still more truth in Brisbane. Allied interests in Adelaide keep close watch on each other. Murdoch's entry into Sydney was both swift and dramatic, with the $2 million purchase of Cumberland Press. He consolidated his position with the Daily Mirror and Truth, promptly renamed the Sunday Mirror. Lately, News Limited has moved into the music business, with Festival Records, and extended TV interests with substantial holdings in TCN and Melbourne's GTV, both formerly considered the single domain of Sir Frank Packer. Growth has been violent. Competitors are clearly anxious. News Limited holdings are now 15 times greater than in pre-Rupert years. Murdoch's latest launching has been The Australian, Canberra-based, but soon to move to Sydney.

REPORTER: Could you describe which of your newspapers… Tell me which of your newspapers you care about most.

RUPERT MURDOCH: Oh, The Australian, I think. Certainly at the moment. It's been the greatest challenge and certainly the biggest task that I've had. The biggest challenge I've had put before me, I think, in life yet was to establish this paper and overcome the obstacles that we have. We still have more to overcome yet, but this was the biggest, the most exciting thing, and I'm still the most involved in that.

MAX NEWTON: In the first four or five months, probably up until the time I left The Australian, Rupert would quite often be seen down on the stone, making up the paper. (Laughs) This bloke… This bloke's running an organisation of x papers and millions of pounds turnover, and there he is with bits of lead making up the papers. It's very unnerving. This is the sort of work that should be done, as you know, by a sub earning about $25 a week. When I met Rupert, it seemed to be a very exciting thing. Here was a young bloke who was prepared to spend a lot of money doing something that was probably going to be very good. At least, one certainly hoped it was. One didn't realise at the time, meeting Rupert, who on first impression gives you this sort of, 'I'm just a simple boy — I'm a very likeable kid' thing… You don't realise that there's a great deal of iron behind the boyish exterior.00:02:51:24

REPORTER: Do you like the feeling of power you have as a newspaper proprietor? Being able to sort of formulate policies for a large number of newspapers in every State of Australia?

RUPERT MURDOCH: Well, there's only one honest answer to that, of course, and that's yes. Of course one enjoys the feeling of power. Although, if I can just hold you there for a minute, I think that this question of the power of newspaper proprietors can be greatly overdone. We have certain… We have more responsibility than power, I think. The newspaper can create great controversies, stir up an argument within the community, a discussion. It can throw light on injustices, just as it can do the opposite. It can hide things and be a great power for evil. It's not a perfect system, obviously. But can you think of a better one? I think the important thing is that there be plenty of newspapers with plenty of different people controlling them so that there's a variety of viewpoints… So there's a choice for the public. This is the freedom of the press that is needed. Freedom of the press mustn't be one-sided, just for a publisher to speak as he pleases. To try and bully the community. There must be an alternative. So long as there are alternatives then I think that the public's very well protected.

REPORTER: In most outward ways, Rupert Murdoch is disarmingly ordinary — and yet, of course, this can't be so. It is possible that in ten years he may be burned out. It's also possible that he may grow to dominate the newspaper scene as few before him have dominated it. Only time will tell, and time is certainly on the side of Rupert Murdoch.