The recent News Corporation scandal has catapulted Murdoch and his global media empire into the public eye as perhaps never before. In the English-speaking world, and increasingly in 'untapped' but potentially lucrative markets such as China, Murdoch wields an influence as political kingmaker second to none. How did he do it? How did this empire, a loose 'archipelago' of media islands large and small, come to be so successful and influential? How did it all come to the current, disastrous state?