press baron

noun

1. an influential newspaper publisher or owner who usually controls more than one widely circulated newspaper.

Word History and Origins

Origin of press baron¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

The billionaire Cox family, descendants of an Ohio press baron who bought his first newspaper in 1898, began acquiring cable systems in 1962 and has since held them with a tight grip.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In August 1972, a collective of writers, mostly in Melbourne, released the first issue of a biweekly broadsheet that would chronicle a certain corner of Australian countercultural life — starting with a scathing piece on the “young press baron” Rupert Murdoch.

Read more on New York Times

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the tycoon “did more than any press baron in the last 100 years to promote the cause of the global free media that is indispensable for democracy and progress.”

Read more on Seattle Times

In a string of posts on Friday, Mr. Musk — who, like any proud press baron, keeps a close watch on his platform — cracked jokes, defended his positions, and needled his critics.

Read more on New York Times

But as people debated complex, novel issues of free speech and online censorship, the move also underscored the role of a simpler, more enduring element of American life: the press baron.

Read more on New York Times