Over half a century Rupert Murdoch’s business audacity and political shrewdness built one of the world’s most powerful media empires. Now his dynasty is under threat — not from outside competition, but from shocking accounts of bribery, blackmail, and invasion of privacy. The scandal has prompted criminal investigations on both sides of the Atlantic. It has also cracked open the insular world of the Murdoch family, its news executives, and the political elite who court their favor.