News that sells

Rupert Murdoch, head of News Corp., the $70 billion global media conglomerate, was asked during the recent U.S. presidential campaign if he had a preference between the two candidates. He didn’t hesitate for a second before answering Barack Obama. He then added that Obama was his pick because his election would sell more newspapers.

In a fascinating new biography, it is clear that even though Murdoch is involved with numerous enterprises, including both international magazine publications and network TV, he is first and foremost a newspaperman.

When Michael Wolff, a columnist for Vanity Fair and a two-time National Magazine Award winner, approached Murdoch to discuss the possibility of a book, he did so with caution. He was amazed when Murdoch agreed to cooperate and even more so when the mogul granted unprecedented access that included nearly 50 hours of one-on-one interviews conducted over a nine-month period.

In addition to Murdoch’s help, Wolff also received help from other family members including his four children, his current and former wives, and even his 99-year-old mother, Dame Elizabeth Murdoch. The result is a deliciously written biography that reveals a wickedly astute portrait of a man who, even at the age of 77, shows no signs of slowing down or retiring.

How did this Australian who came into the publishing business as an outsider build such a global media empire that includes more than 100 newspapers, the Fox movie studio and television networks, satellite TV systems in Europe and Asia, the book imprint Harper-Collins, and MySpace? According to Wolff, Murdoch achieved most of his major goals because he is focused and sees no middle ground, no compromise and no ambivalence when it comes to getting what he wants.