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Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
National
Gerry Smith and Erik Larson

The Murdoch empire — and Fox News — is at a crossroads

Back in 2021, Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch was described by President Joe Biden as the “the most dangerous man in the world,” such was the raw power his cable news network had in shaping public opinion.

Flash forward to now, where a more diminished figure emerges from court filings revealed this week as part of a $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems Inc., one forced into an uncomfortable admission: He could have stopped the promotion of the false idea that the 2020 election was rigged against Donald Trump, but feared the network would lose loyal viewers and irritate the then-president.

Asked if he could have stopped producers and hosts from booking guests like Sidney Powell who propagated the election myth, Murdoch said, “I could have, but I do not run Fox News that way. I appointed Ms. Scott to the job,” referring to Suzanne Scott, the chief executive officer of Fox News. “And I delegate everything to her,” he added.

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