Closing Summary
Here is a wrap up of the day’s key events and reactions following Rupert Murdoch’s announcement of his resignation from Fox and News Corp:
Fox said in an announcement on Thursday that Murdoch would become chairman emeritus of both companies. Murdoch vowed to remain engaged at Fox, saying, “I will be involved every day in the contest of ideas.”
His older son, Lachlan, 52, will become News Corp chairman and continue as chief executive officer of Fox Corp. “On behalf of the Fox and News Corp boards of directors, leadership teams, and all the shareholders who have benefited from his hard work, I congratulate my father on his remarkable 70-year career,” he said.
Angelo Carusone, president and CEO of the media watchdog Media Matters for America, called Murdoch’s legacy “one of deceit.” Carusone went on to warn Lachlan Murdoch’s succession will likely intensify misconduct and misinformation, saying, “Lachlan certainly is a less competent leader than his father, but his worldview is considerably more brutal.”
In an interview with LBC presenter Andrew Marr, UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt called Rupert Murdoch a “formidable operator” an “one of the giants of his era.” Reflecting on Murdoch’s resignation, Hunt said: “He is someone, who love him or loathe him, had a defining influence on all of our lives over the last half century.”
British television host Piers Morgan hailed Rupert Murdoch’s media legacy following his resignation announcement. “It’s been a privilege to work for him on and off for the past 30 years, and an ongoing masterclass in journalism & business,” Morgan said.
The Lincoln Project, an anti-Donald Trump Republican organization responded to Rupert Murdoch’s resignation by saying, “Don’t be fooled by this news.” “Rupert & Fox’s legacy will forever be putting in Trump in the White House & poisoning millions of minds across America,” it added.
Jeremy Corbyn, the former Leader of the Opposition and former Leader of the Labour Party, said that Rupert Murdoch’s empire “has poisoned global democracy and spread disinformation on a mass scale.” “It’s time to break up monopolies and build a truly free media — one that exposes the truth, challenges the powerful and amplifies local voices building a better world,” he said.
The Hacked Off Campaign, which was established in 2011 in response to the phone hacking revelations involving the now defunct Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World newspaper, also responded to Murdoch’s decision. “Changing the man at the head of News Corp won’t make a difference – the problems in the Murdoch press and other parts of the national newspaper industry are systemic and can only be resolved with independent regulation,” it said.
That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we wrap up the blog for today. Thank you for following along.
The Guardian’s Richard Luscombe offers his analysis on the significance of Rupert Murdoch’s resignation amid a politically tumultous moment for Fox News and the American media landscape:
The resignation of Rupert Murdoch comes amid a period of unprecedented turmoil at his embattled Fox News empire, and leaves a number of questions hanging over the future of the nation’s most-watched rightwing network.
Exclusive reporting by the Guardian this week revealed that Murdoch expected a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over 2020 election lies would cost Fox News $50m. It was settled for an eye-popping $797.5m, the media mogul reportedly left “frothing at the mouth” in anger at Donald Trump, whose conspiracy theories over the 2020 election Fox personalities repeatedly amplified.
Murdoch, according to Michael Wolff, author of the new book The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty, often wished for the former president’s death.
Now, Murdoch is bailing out as other, perhaps more costly lawsuits are still pending, including a $2.7bn damages claim from Smartmatic, another voting machine manufacturer savaged by Fox’s on-air talent in similar fashion to Dominion.
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