JULY 19 — Press baron Rupert Murdoch’s appearance before British members of Parliament today is certain to prove one of the lowest points in an otherwise incredible career.

The 80-year-old Australian hates speaking in public and, in fact, has rarely been heard by anyone at all. He will be fizzing that the phone-hacking scandal has resulted in him having to face the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

All the preparation in the world — and you can be sure that he and his advisers will have been working on his performance for days — will not save him from the fury of committee members, in particular Labour MP Tom Watson, who has led the charge against Murdoch’s News International for the past two years.

Watson and his colleagues are in the unique position of being the first people ever to be able to confront Murdoch face-to-face with a list of complaints and grievances stretching back decades.

The Labour MPs, especially, will not miss the chance of trying to make a name for themselves by getting one over on a man who, along with editors Larry Lamb and Kelvin Mackenzie, created The Sun — a tabloid seen by many as Britain’s most right-wing paper.

But mainly he will be in Parliament to answer questions about the practices at the News of the World, in particular phone hacking.

He and his son, James Murdoch, will be forced to deny any direct knowledge of reporters at the Sunday red top hacking into voicemails. And the pair will be forced to defend the record of former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, who quit over the affair last week.

One thing is for sure, the appearance of Murdoch senior and his protege, Brooks, is going to make for fascinating viewing. He had originally refused to appear before the committee but as the row over phone hacking intensified — and news that the mobile phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler was tampered with — he had no choice but to comply with the summons.

Murdoch is famous for his long silences and you can expect many of the committee’s questions to be met with this response. It has been a tactic of his for many years during confrontation. He remains silent as his opponent babbles nonsense until he runs out of steam. It was a trick he used to pull with his editors.

It is also known that he hates any of his executives and editors speaking publicly. That is why this call to the committee will rankle most. That he, one of the world’s most powerful men and someone who has not had to answer to anyone since the late ‘60s, will have to put on a show of contrition and pray for a sympathetic hearing.

Murdoch will also be asked about the state of his business. Following the phone-hacking row and the collapse of his bid to take complete control of satellite broadcaster BSkyB, shares in News Corp have tumbled to a two-year-low in Australia.

This drop was also prompted by the resignation of key Murdoch ally, Dow Jones chief executive Les Hinton, and the resignation of Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson.

There is speculation that the company will now have to sell some of its media assets. For years now, many within the establishment have had problems with the Murdoch press. His newspapers have been accused of being intrusive, party political, obsessed with celebrity froth and now guilty of corrupt practices.

But the MPs grilling the Murdochs and Brooks today would do well to remember the massive contribution he has made to the industry — not only in Britain but also Australia and the United States.

He has been a massive employer across all continents. In the United Kingdom especially, he breathed new life into a tired and flagging industry with modern practices and state-of-the-art printing presses.

He smashed the grip of the corrupt printing unions and his newspapers have been responsible for some truly amazing journalism over the years. He also spearheaded the advent of 24-hour rolling television news.

I would say that on the whole, Murdoch’s contribution to society has been largely positive. British politicians should bear that in mind before their planned attack.

I suspect that the encounter will prove to be too much of a bruising experience for the straight-talking media genius. And I predict it will only serve to speed up his plans to bow out from business altogether. If this happens, then the MPs of the Culture Committee will have claimed the biggest scalp of all. — Today

* Paul Gilfeather, now the principal correspondent at Today, worked at the News of the World from 1996 to 1998 and was with News International until 2001. He later served as political editor of the Sunday Mirror.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.