Alan and Lionel are joined by editor Eric Beecher to discuss his new book, The Men Who Killed The News, about media moguls’ abuses of power.
At 33, Eric became the youngest ever editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, before Rupert Murdoch crowned him editor-in-chief at the Melbourne Herald.
So why, years later, was he sued by the Murdochs?
Eric has seen Rupert Murdoch at his best, successful and innovative, and at worst, a ruthless dictator. He shares personal stories of pressure and coercive behaviour, and his growing sense that the news agenda was being manipulated to avoid bad press connected to his boss. Eric reveals that very little happens in the Murdoch empire without Rupert knowing—including, he alleges, the phone-hacking scandal.
Plus, Alan tries an AI experiment on Lionel, which leads to fears that they'll both be deemed redundant from their current roles, and the two return to James Harding's Observer bid.
