Murdoch: from dictator to grey eminence?

 From a rival Australian newspaper chain:

After seven decades of building an empire, Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as the head of Fox and News Corp. The Australian-born media mogul announced that he will transition from his roles as chair of Fox Corporation and executive chairman of News Corp in November. His son Lachlan, pictured left, will become the sole chairman of both companies, while Rupert Murdoch will become “chairman emeritus”.

The 92-year-old informed staff of his decision in a letter that stated he was still in good health but “the time is right to take on different roles”. He added that he would continue to “be involved every day in the contest of ideas” and warned that the “battle for the freedom of speech and, ultimately, the freedom of thought, has never been more intense”. Murdoch’s departure follows a tumultuous period at Fox. In April, the company agreed to pay $US787.5 million ($1.17 billion) to settle a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems after the cable TV network accused Dominion of rigging its voting machines against former president Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

While the matter never made it to trial, Murdoch made stunning admissions in earlier depositions, including the fact that presenters had “endorsed” Donald Trump’s lies of a stolen election knowing they weren’t true. Murdoch is a particularly influential figure in Republican Party politics, and his decision to step down could have ripple effects as the US heads towards a presidential election next year. Murdoch’s influence has also been widely criticised. Angelo Carusone, President of Media Matters for America, said “no one should sugarcoat the damage he caused. Making matters worse, his parting act – handing the reins to Lachlan Murdoch – is akin to tossing a match onto the kindling he stacked.”

It is widely suspected that Murdoch senior will remain the power behind the throne, though one industry insider told the BBC that Lachlan is by no means the dimbo he is reported to be.

Murdoch is seen as a monster and he is certainly not a liberal. (Sun front page attacks of 1992 killed off Liberal Democrat chances of making headway in the general election of that year. They included an accusation of Liberal Democrats being no more than a Trojan horse for Labour, and this notorious one.) But otherwise his political philosophy does not go beyond backing winners, ensuring favourable treatment from any incoming government - witness the Sun's support for Blair in 1997. On the plus side, he has maintained The Times as a (mainly) independent newspaper of record. Nor has he ever resorted to the courts to defend his reputation as many lesser but equally rich public figures have done.

Chances are that Murdoch will be as good as his word and not a Sinatra--like farewell.