Will the Scandal Tame Murdoch?

When Rupert Murdoch faced inquisitors from a British Parliamentary committee on July 19, the public Murdoch was on display: monosyllabic, defiant, and unwilling to accept full responsibility for the corruption that has ensnarled his media empire. “A lot of people had different agendas in trying to build this hysteria,” Murdoch said when asked who he blamed for the sizeable business setbacks of News Corp. in the U.K., due to the phone hacking scandal. “All our competitors in this country formally announced a consortium to try and stop us. They caught us with dirty hands and built hysteria around it.”

It was a characteristic performance from a mogul who’s perfected the art of the grand escape during a career in which he has stared down competitors, outmaneuvered rivals, and solidified his command over a media empire built from a single family-owned newspaper.