This is the gripping story of a deal that, in an era of declining newspaper circulations and battles over online news content, changed the media landscape forever.

In 2007 News Corporation offered the Bancroft family a staggering US$5 billion for control of the Wall Street Journal: America's leading newspaper, bastion of independent journalism, for a century the pride of Dow Jones.

Sarah Ellison, while a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, won praise for her coverage of Rupert Murdoch's audacious acquisition. Here she uses her inside knowledge to go inside the landmark transaction. With access to all the players, Ellison moves from the feuding Bancroft family to riven newsrooms, to Murdoch himself: cajoling, calling the shots, undoing all that the Bancrofts had protected for decades.

'balanced and nuanced....a riveting and engaging examination of the current state of US media and the drama behind one of its most important companies.' Boston Globe