The Fourth Estate

Lubji Hoch escapes the persecution of European Jews and rebuilds himself in the British Army under the name Richard Armstrong. In occupied Berlin he recognises the political and commercial power of newspapers and begins acquiring publications through aggressive deals and heavy borrowing. In Australia, Keith Townsend inherits a family newspaper business and develops a competing vision of an international media group.

Their separate empires expand through the post-war decades until rivalry, debt and the desire for political influence push both men towards increasingly dangerous decisions. Armstrong and Townsend are fictional characters rather than direct portraits, although the novel draws on the public careers of twentieth-century newspaper proprietors. The story links Holocaust survival, Cold War communications and corporate power to a contest over who controls the news read by millions.