Rupert Murdoch’s best quotes

Rupert Murdoch started out running a newspaper in Adelaide. Last year, the media magnate’s wealth was estimated at €2.36 billion. Here are his best quotes.

By Robert Carry

“The Internet has been the most fundamental change during my lifetime and for hundreds of years. Someone the other day said, “It’s the biggest thing since Gutenberg,” and then someone else said “No, it’s the biggest thing since the invention of writing.””

– On the importance of the Internet.

“I think a newspaper should be provocative, stir ’em up, but you can’t do that on television. It’s just not on.”

– On the differences between print and TV journalism.

“I’m a catalyst for change. You can’t be an outsider and be successful over 30 years without leaving a certain amount of scar tissue around the place.”

– On being ruthless in business.

“You can’t build a strong corporation with a lot of committees and a board that has to be consulted every turn. You have to be able to make decisions on your own.”

– On business leadership models.

“Tony Blair … told me yesterday that he was in Delhi last week and he turned on the BBC World Service to see what was happening in New Orleans, and he said it was just full of hate at America and gloating about our troubles. That’s pretty general throughout Europe today.”

– On the anti-Americanism in world media.

“In motivating people, you’ve got to engage their minds and their hearts. I motivate people, I hope, by example – and perhaps by excitement, by having productive ideas to make others feel involved.”

– On motivation and leadership.

“Is there any other industry in this country which seeks to presume so completely to give the customer what he does not want?”

– On the media’s peculiar relationship with its audience.

“The buck stops with the guy who signs the checks.”

– On accountability.

“Our reputation is more important than the last hundred million dollars.”

– On the value of a good name.

“The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow.”

– On the modern business landscape.

“There is so much media now with the Internet and people, and so easy and so cheap to start a newspaper or start a magazine, there’s just millions of voices and people want to be heard.”

– On the changing face of the media.

“My ventures in media are not as important to me as spreading my personal political beliefs.”

– On impartiality.

“News…communicating news and ideas, I guess.. is my passion. And giving people alternatives so that they have two papers to read and alternative television channels.”

– On consumer choice.

“I believe too many of us editors and reporters are out of touch with our readers. Too often, the question we ask is ‘Do we have the story?’ rather than ‘Does anyone want the story?’”

– On media content.