You cannot have a free democracy if you don't have a free media that can provide vital, independent information to the people. - Rupert Murdoch As Murdoch's empire grew and his influence on public opinion strengthened, many political leaders saw his media dominance as a new medium through which to promote their political campaigns. Most of these leaders usually fell on the right-wing spectrum and targeted the kind of profile Murdoch's documents attracted. The favors that Murdoch administered to these leaders did not come without a price and as he moved from obscenity to propaganda he increasingly gained dominance of the political realm, which according to Ted Turner made him the most dangerous man in the world. His most scandalous and controversial political alliances were those involving Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Donald Trump. All of these politicians have two main things in common: they each had a significant amount of power, both as president and prime minister, and the support of Rupert Murdoch. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay that raises the following question: Does Rupert Murdoch pose a threat to our democracy? Murdoch and Thatcher As his empire expanded to another frontier across the Atlantic, Murdoch focused his attention more specifically on England, on its politics. With the Sun's growing anti-establishment success, clear neutrality in politics and the 1979 election campaign just around the corner, Thatcher and Murdoch found each other again. With Murdoch's help, the relationship between Thatcher and The Sun's readers was immediate. Murdoch then launched a propaganda campaign to promote his favored candidate. In general terms, the media is responsible for four basic things when involved in politics, the first is to emphasize the responsibility of government leaders towards the people, consolidating their means with the people to give them a sense of unity (we want that you want), prioritizing some information that might be considered relevant to the election and, finally, educating the public so that they can make the best possible decision (Mintz, 2016). Instead of informing his readers, Murdoch almost seems to be ordering them to vote for Thatcher. When the London Times went on the market in 1980, Murdoch made a bid, bearing in mind that before then he was the current owner of two of the most dominant tabloids in Britain. This alone should have been enough to submit a review to the Monopolies and Operators Commission, but this was never the case. Why? Many suspected that Murdoch was cleared due to his alliance with then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and their private "please please" deal, to this day no one can prove the speculation for sure, but they can't deny it either. However, in 2012 there was confirmation that both Thatcher and Murdoch met in secret during ongoing negotiations regarding The Times and Sunday Times. In 2015 the Guardian published an article accusing Thatcher of supporting Murdoch's candidacy in the Times and Sunday Times in exchange for a media boost in her newspapers (Manhattan Buzz, 2016).