On September 21st, 2023, Rupert Murdoch, founder of Fox and News Corporation announced that he would be stepping down as chair of both companies, after a seven decade run.
Rupert Murdoch, founder of Fox and News Corp. Photo Courtesy: CNN
Murdoch is to exit his roles at his companies during their annual meetings taking place in November and will be giving the title of chair to his oldest son, Lachlan Murdoch. Lachlan Murdoch is the current co-chair of News Corp, and will become the chair of News Corp, as well as becoming executive chair and CEO of Fox.
Rupert, 92, said in a memo to his staff; “For my entire professional life, I have been engaged daily with news and ideas, and that will not change. But the time is right for me to take on different roles.” He went on to call his son a “…passionate, principled leader”, as well as telling his staff that like his companies, he is in “robust health.”, and that he would be “involved every day in the contest of ideas.”
Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, Photo Courtesy: ABC
Rupert Murdoch was born in Australia and went to college in the United Kingdom, where he would take control of the family newspaper after his father passed away of a sudden heart attack. In 1964, he created the first ever Australian national paper, and four years later, would acquire the UK tabloid known as News of the World, and later on The Sun, making a name for himself within the UK when it came to press coverage.
Murdoch’s business ventures would later move onto the United States around 1973, with his purchase of The San Antonio News and The San Antonio Express. Three years later, he would buy The New York Post, which he would sell in 1988 before buying the Post again in 1993. Murdoch would then get his foot in the door with Hollywood in the 80s which saw him acquire a numerous amount of TV stations, as well as 20th Century Fox in 1985. By this point he was considered one of the richest men in the U.S. It is said that these deals would allow him to launch Fox in 1986 as a rival to networks like NBC, CBS, and ABC. Murdoch’s new company, Fox, would acquire NFL media rights from CBS, and use such sports media to launch local as well as national cable networks.
20th Century Fox Logo, 1985. Photo Courtesy: Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ueWLYPmMcwQ
Murdoch would then launch Fox News in 1996 to rival CNN, with ratings surpassing CNN’s in six years. Critics stated that Fox’s approach to TV news and opinion had contributed to the discourse of American politics, as well as deepened conflict against both parties. Murdoch as a response would state that Fox News was “fair” and “balanced”, and that it appealed to everyday viewers that “elite” journalists had lost connection with.
Murdoch and his company would continue to acquire as well as create brands and trademarks across all different types of media, with iconic shows like The Simpsons being aired on Fox, blockbusters such as Avatar and Titanic being produced by 20th Century Fox, and his influence and ownership over news outlets continuing. However, because of loyal viewership as well as his critics, Fox News would arguably become his most successful venture.
Murdoch and his business empire did encounter many setbacks along the way. One of the most notable controversies was in 2011 where investigations revealed that Murdoch’s UK outlet News of the World had been illegally eavesdropping on the phone calls and voicemails of celebrities and politicians, as well as murder and terror victims, most notably murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. Murdoch would admit that a cover-up had taken place within the News of the World staff, and in 2013, a tape was broadcasted on Channel 4 News, showing Murdoch saying that the investigators were “totally incompetent” and were acting over “next to nothing”. These events would cause News of the World, the 168-year-old tabloid, to shut down.
Another recent controversy is Fox News being sued by Dominion Voting Systems for defamation, after false claims were spread that their voting machines had assisted in rigging the election for Joe Biden. Fox agreed this year to pay $787.5 million, with a similar lawsuit coming up from another voting machine company called Smartmatic.
Regardless of what opinions people may have of him, Murdoch’s influence can be felt in a large portion of the media we consume. Whether it be a news article we read online published by an outlet that is owned by him, the sports and TV shows we watch on Fox, Murdoch’s business empire has had a large role in shaping the cultural and political climate of the 20th and 21st century.