Getting Murdoched

Getting Murdoched explores the power the Murdoch empire exercises over those who disagree.

For decades, Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire has shaped political landscapes, influenced elections, and fuelled public opinion. But behind the headlines lies a darker story — of targeted campaigns, smear tactics, and relentless attacks on those who don’t fit the Murdoch mould. From LGBTQI communities and women’s rights advocates to progressive politicians, human rights defenders, and even conservatives deemed ‘not right enough’, Getting Murdoched: How Murdoch’s Media Wields Power and Punishment exposes how dissent is silenced and reputations destroyed. Drawing on insider accounts, investigative research, and case studies spanning Australia, the UK, and the US, this book reveals how News Corp turns disagreement into a declaration of war.

Powerful, unsettling, and meticulously documented, Getting Murdoched is both a warning and a call to defend truth in an age of weaponised media. Including interviews and international examples, Getting Murdoched also analyses the damaging effect that this has on democracy in the US, the UK and Australia.

About the Author

Andrew Dodd is a Professor and Director of the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne. He was the founding presenter of the long-running Media Report on Radio National, a reporter with ABC TV's 7.30 Report and a media and business reporter with The Australian. He has also written widely on media issues for Crikey and was a presenter for Radio Netherlands. He is the co-editor of Upheaval: Disrupted Lives in Journalism, with Matthew Ricketson. Andrew has a PhD in history from the University of Melbourne.

Matthew Ricketson is an academic and journalist. He is Professor of Communication at Deakin University in Australia and before that was inaugural Professor of Journalism at the University of Canberra. He has worked on staff across major national newspapers and magazines. Matthew has won several awards, including the George Munster national prize for freelance journalism.

He is the author or editor of seven books, most recently Who Needs the ABC? Why taking it for granted is no longer an option, co-authored with Patrick Mullins. He has been a chief investigator on four Australian Research Council grants about journalism and the media and was appointed by the federal government to assist in an Independent Inquiry into the Media and Media Regulation.