Scandal: Inside the Murdoch Empire

UPDATE:

On March 14th, 2012 Neville Thurlbeck, former News Of The World chief reporter was also arrested again on suspicion of intimidation of a witness and encouraging or assisting an offence. Both are out on bail. And as of April 3 in a major development, James Murdoch, long presumed to be Rupert Murdoch's corporate heir apparent, stepped down as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting. And on May 1, 2012 a British parliamentary committee called Rupert Murdoch "unfit" to run his global media empire. On May 15, 2012 Former News of the World editor, Rebekah Brooks was charged over alleged attempts to conceal evidence of phone hacking. Read updates about this story on CBC News.

It has been called "The Murdoch Spring". A modern democracy freed from the grip of a foreign press baron by one astonishing newspaper story. For 30 years Rupert Murdoch has held sway over British Prime Ministers and politicians of all stripes have sought his favour. In Britain he controls 40 percent of the press, and a major television station. In the United States he owns The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, the Fox television network, the Fox News on cable and the film studio Twentieth Century Fox. But when Britain's Guardian newspaper revealed that Murdoch journalists had hacked the phone of murdered schoolgirl, Milly Dowler, while police and family desperately searched for her, British politics was transformed in an instant.

And now Murdoch's dynasty is under threat not from outside competition, but from shocking accounts of bribery, blackmail, and invasion of privacy. Scandal: Inside The Murdoch Empire is the remarkable story of the battle over the future of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch's reputation and his family's fortunes.

This film reveals how Murdoch used his papers to vanquish those who got in his way. The tabloid term for it is "Monstering".  Michael Wolff, who has written the latest authorized biography of Murdoch believes that, "Reward and punishment is how this company works, and that's essentially the business model. And that's what newspapers are for him. They are the means with which you reward and which you punish." British Labour MP Tom Watson, who keenly questioned Murdoch at a Parliamentary hearing was himself put under surveillance by a private eye employed by News International, in what he believes was an effort at intimidation. "I'd say, the people were outside my flat again. There's that funny man on the motorbike. I think I might be followed." Mark Lewis, the lawyer for the Dowler family and over 80 other phone hacking victims, also discovered that he and his family had been put under surveillance by Murdoch's British company. "I've seen the video of my ex-wife and my daughter who was fourteen. I've seen a video that was found in News International's English offices."

Politicians, who once genuflected before him, now snap at Murdoch's heels. The Government has been tainted by the scandal. The country's two top police chiefs have had to resign. His top executives have been arrested. On March 13 2012,  Rebekah Brooks, the former News of The World and Sun editor, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice,  as part of the inquiry into allegations of phone hacking. Brooks was also previously arrested in July of last year on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications. On March 14th, 2012 Neville Thurlbeck, former News Of The World chief reporter was also arrested again on suspicion of intimidation of a witness and encouraging or assisting an offence. Both are out on bail.

Scandal: Inside The Murdoch Empire was directed, written and produced by the CBC'S award-winning journalist, Neil Docherty and is a co-production with WGBH/PBS Frontline and Cam Bay Productions.