The Men Who Killed the News, Eric Beecher
The Men Who Killed the News, Eric Beecher
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The Men Who Killed the News
The inside story of how media moguls abused their power, manipulated the truth and distorted democracy

Author: Eric Beecher

Narrator: Eric Beecher

Unabridged: 14 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/30/2024

Synopsis

Readings Best Books of 2024, Non-Fiction
Nominated for the 2025 Sperber Prize

Never before has the media played such an active part in our politics, with Elon Musk using X to affect world elections and direct US government policy. But as Crikey owner and ex-News Corp executive Eric Beecher shows, media moguls have a long history of abusing their power …  

What’s gone wrong with our media? The answer: its owners. From William Randolph Hearst to Elon Musk, from the British press barons to colonial upstarts Conrad Black and Rupert Murdoch, media proprietors have manipulated the news to accumulate wealth and influence as they meddled with democracy.

Eric Beecher knows the news business from bottom to top. He has been a journalist, editor and media proprietor (of Text Media and Crikey), with the rare distinction of having both worked for and been sued (unsuccessfully) by the Murdochs.

This book reveals the distorted role of the media moguls of the past two centuries: their techniques, strategies, behind-closed-doors machinations, and indulgent lifestyles. It explains how they have exploited the shield of the freedom of the press to undermine journalism – and truth.

In an era of fake news, AI and misinformation, this is democracy’s chillingly important story: how a small coterie of flawed and narcissistic moguls created a shadow of power that has contributed to making the media an agent of mistrust.

About Eric Beecher

Eric Beecher has had a long career in journalism, media and publishing. He started his career as a reporter on the Melbourne Age, spent periods at The Sunday Times and The Observer in London, and at The Washington Post; he was appointed as the youngest-ever editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and later as editor-in-chief of the Melbourne Herald. He then became an independent media owner, launching several media and publishing start-up companies, initially in print and then in digital news publishing. He is currently chair and the largest shareholder in Private Media, owner of several Australian news websites, including Crikey.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ron on April 09, 2025

I will have to start this review by agreeing with one of Mr Beecher’s antagonists. Beecher begins his book with a detailed account of the time when Lachlan Murdoch sued Beecher for defamation. Murdoch’s legal team had a miss match of arguments against Beecher (Crikey) one of which was that the story......more

Goodreads review by Jim on March 05, 2025

A story ostensibly about the history of media barons and their abuses of power, ‘The Men Who Killed the News: The Inside Story of How Media Moguls Abused their Power, Manipulated the Truth and Distorted Democracy’ is a classic example of events overtaking an author's chosen thesis. To be fair, author......more

Goodreads review by Lucia on May 14, 2025

Got distracted by other books / life in the middle of this one, but so glad I finished it… These bastards… Changed the world for the very worst…......more

Goodreads review by Heather on November 23, 2024

Eric Beecher as owner of Crikey and a former journalist for News Corp and Fairfax has the insiders view of the men (mostly) who have manipulated the news since newspapers were ever a thing - everyone from William Randolph Hearst to Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk. It is in many ways a disturbing read a......more

Goodreads review by Quinn on February 24, 2025

Given that this book was written by a professional journalist, I was expecting a well written and coherent story explaining the abuse of power by Murdoc and co. I did not get that coherent story. Although the information in the book is good, its all very disjointed. Switching between people and time......more

Quotes

‘A witty and absorbing Decline and Fall for a media era that has destroyed itself.’ 

‘The Men Who Killed the News is one of the most important books published here in many years. It should be read by everyone who is interested in a civil society.’

'A globally important book'

'Brilliant'

‘In a pacey compression of press history going back to the late 19th century, Beecher vividly illustrates how newspaper moguls … have cynically debased the profession of journalism in pursuit of wealth and power … The Men Who Killed the News is a book for the times.’

'The Men Who Killed the News is a passionate and excoriating book that should inform and disturb the general reader interested in media, power, and misinformation.'

‘a hugely important topic, which too few journalists write about.’ 

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