News Corporation, also called News Corp, is a large media company. It operates primarily in Australia, Europe (especially the United Kingdom), and the United States. The company has headquarters in New York City, New York.
Rupert Murdoch, an Australian-born businessman, founded News Corporation in Australia in 1979. It began as a holding company for News Limited, which published The News in Adelaide, Australia. Control of News Limited had passed to Rupert Murdoch in the early 1950’s after the death of his father, Sir Keith Murdoch. By the time Rupert Murdoch formed News Corporation, News Limited had acquired a number of additional newspapers, including The Daily Mirror in Sydney, Australia; the National Star and The New York Post in the United States; and The Sun in the United Kingdom.
In 1981, News Corp acquired the Times Newspapers Limited, a company that published several prestigious papers in the United Kingdom, including the London papers The Times, The Sunday Times, and The Times Literary Supplement. In 1985, News Corp purchased Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, giving the company film production and distribution capabilities, and the rights to films owned by the studio. Also in 1985, News Corp bought a number of television stations in the United States, which laid the foundation for the creation of the Fox television network in 1986.
In 2004, News Corp was reincorporated in the United States. News Corp launched Fox Business Network (FBN), a network aimed at American consumers and investors, in 2007. The same year, News Corp acquired the respected American newspaper The Wall Street Journal .
In 2011, a scandal erupted involving News Corp’s British newspaper News of the World. The scandal grew out of charges that newspaper staff had hacked (broken into) voice mails on private phones, bribed police officers for information, and exerted improper influence on politicians. Murdoch closed the paper to try to end the scandal. He also testified before the British Parliament concerning his role in potentially illegal or unethical activities conducted by News Corp employees. A 2012 report by Parliament stated that Rupert Murdoch was “not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company.”
In 2013, News Corp was divided into two companies—News Corp and 21st Century Fox. The resulting smaller News Corp included newspaper and other publishing ventures. 21st Century Fox became one of the world’s largest entertainment companies. Today, News Corp operations include news and information services, such as newspapers and magazines; book publishing; and digital real estate services. They also include cable network programming and pay-television distribution in Australia.
