Young Rupert's Paper Trail: Succession, seditions, and power in 1950s Adelaide

We invited journalist Walter Marsh to piece together the story of young Rupert Murdoch’s early battles against Adelaide’s conservative establishment. He explores how these formative years made Adelaide the unlikely foundation for a global media empire. Drawing on unpublished archival material found in the State Library of South Australia’s collections helped Marsh unravel the tale.

The story begins in September 1953, when 22-year-old Rupert Murdoch landed in Adelaide, South Australia. Fresh from Oxford with a radical reputation, the young and brash son of Sir Keith Murdoch had arrived to fulfill his father’s dying wish - for Rupert to live a ‘useful altruistic and full life’ in the media.

This presentation was recorded as part of the State Library's Stories from the Stacks talks on 16 April 2024.

The presenter was a special guest: Walter Marsh, South Australian author and journalist.