ABC

News Corporation head Rupert Murdoch says Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is more outspoken in criticising the media than his predecessors.

Mr Rudd has not been shy about suggesting News Limited is running a vendetta against him.

In the past he has criticised the media organisation's coverage in several stories, including scrutiny of the Education Revolution and the OzCar affair.

But Mr Murdoch has told Sky news the Prime Minister is not necessarily more thin-skinned than any of his predecessors.

"He expresses his complaints more vociferously and faster but no I think they're all pretty much the same," he said.

He also says Mr Rudd is deluded if he thinks he can drive a shift in global change policy, an opinion backed up by Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull.

The media mogul also weighed into the recently-revived debate on immigration, saying that Australia needs to be more welcoming of asylum seekers.

Mr Murdoch used the interview to defend a move to start charging for access to the company's online content.

The new policy was announced in August and has been attacked by ABC managing director Mark Scott, who called it the classic play of an empire in decline.

But the media mogul says online media content should never have been completely free.

"It costs us a lot of money to put together good newspapers and good content," he said.

"And they're very happy to pay for it when they buy a newspaper, and I think when they read it elsewhere they're going to have to pay.

"[It won't cost] huge sums - you'll be surprised at how much can be done, how cheaply, into the average home."