Rupert Murdoch’s resignation as head of Fox News’ parent company will leave his eldest son Lachlan Murdoch in charge, raising questions about what the shake-up means for the cable news giant as it covers the state election. 2024.
Lachlan will take over as chairman of News Corp and continue to serve as executive chairman and CEO of Fox News parent Fox Corp after Murdoch, 92, announced Thursday he was stepping down from both companies.
The succession plan dragged on for years, with Lachlan taking over as CEO of Fox Corp in March 2019, when the company was spun off from assets left over from the sale of 21st Century Fox to Disney.
Lachlan’s status as heir apparent was consolidated after his brother James resigned from the board of sister company News Corp in July 2020, citing “disagreements over certain editorial content”.
Although Lachlan has long been an enigmatic figure, he is widely considered the most conservative of Rupert’s children, with some observers saying he is further to the right of his father on some issues.
Rupert Murdoch is seen with his eldest son Lachlan Murdoch in 2018.
However, industry observers question whether Lachlan will make sweeping changes in the short term, with his father still retaining effective control through his voting shares.
“It’s too early to tell what the future holds and it’s unclear what direction the company will take under Lachlan’s leadership,” Paolo Pescatore, an industry expert at PP Foresight, told PA Media .
“In the short term there should not be any drastic changes given that he has been heavily involved for some time. However, he will want to consolidate his own position and create his own legacy.
He added: “Lachlan’s first task will be to manage this transition as smoothly and transparently as possible to avoid any instability.
“Either way, big boots to fill and it’s never easy given the empire created. However, (it is) still essential to have Rupert on your side.
Lachlan takes over the Murdoch empire as the media industry as a whole faces challenges, including from the decline of traditional television audiences.
In addition to Fox News, Lachlan will preside over a sprawling media empire that includes the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and The Sun, as well as Fox Sports, Fox Entertainment and others.
Fox News continues to be the leading cable news network in the United States, playing an influential role in American politics as the country prepares for another presidential election in 2024.
What are Lachlan Murdoch’s politics?
For many years, Lachlan’s political views remained a mystery, although recently he has been more outspoken about his conservative positions.
In March 2021, speaking at a Morgan Stanley conference, he said that Fox News would serve as the “loyal opposition” to President Joe Biden and predicted that the network would enjoy the same audience boost that MSNBC has known during the presidency of Donald Trump.
Lachlan Cartwright, editor-in-chief of the Daily Beast, said in January that Lachlan Murdoch’s “politics were far more conservative than his father’s.”
“He’s definitely more conservative than his father and so I think you might see some of that in some Empire titles,” Cartwright explained in an episode of “The New Abnormal” podcast.
For many years, Lachlan’s political views remained a mystery, although recently he has been more outspoken about his conservative positions.
Lachlan is seen with his father Rupert in 2013
However, Lachlan’s views on Trump himself appear to be changing.
According to Michael Wolff’s new book, Lachlan kept toilet paper printed with Trump’s face during the 2016 election and said his family cried when the Republican won.
In response to this claim, Fox News told DailyMail.com: “The fact that this author’s books are being spoofed by Saturday Night Live is really all you need to know.”
Last year, CNN Cited sources say Lachlan freely criticizes Trump in private, telling confidants that he disapproves of the former president’s behavior.
However, text messages revealed in the Dominion lawsuit reveal that Lachlan asked Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott to avoid any negative coverage of a November 14, 2020, rally at which Trump denied his election defeat.
“Journalists need to be careful how they cover this rally,” Lachlan said. “So far, some of the side comments have been slightly anti, and they shouldn’t be. The narrative should be this huge celebration of the president.
In another post, he called Fox correspondent Leland Vittert “smug and obnoxious.” Vittert now hosts a show at NewsNation.
What will Lachlan’s rise mean for Fox News?
The network’s coverage of the 2024 presidential primaries and general election will face scrutiny after the Dominion lawsuit.
A Fox News insider told DailyMail.com that there had been no indication of changes to the lineup following the announcement of Rupert’s resignation.
The network’s leadership team remains unchanged in the transition, they noted.
“It’s business as usual,” the person said.
Still, the changing of the guard has sparked questions about what the Lachlan era might hold for the cable news giant.
In the past, Lachlan has shown support for Tucker Carlson, the host who was abruptly fired from the network in April, leading some to speculate about a Carlson return.
In 2021, Lachlan strongly supported Carlson after the pundit was accused of spreading racism by the Anti-Defamation League. Lachlan wrote a letter to the ADL supporting Carlson.
But the exact circumstances of Carlson’s ouster and Lachlan’s potential role in it remain unclear, as does their current relationship.
It’s also unclear whether Carlson would welcome a détente with his former employer, after moving his show to X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rupert Murdoch is seen with his sons James (right) and Lachlan (left) in 2016
Meanwhile, according to Wolff’s upcoming book about the network, Lachlan supported the idea of firing Sean Hannity as a way to appease Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit.
Lachlan reportedly suggested that Hannity’s secret romance with another host could be used as a pretext to fire him, citing the fate of former CNN boss Jeff Zucker as precedent.
Hannity remains a Fox News host, however, and the network has rejected Wolff’s claims.
In a statement Thursday, Lachlan congratulated his father on “his remarkable 70-year career.”
“We thank him for his vision, his pioneering spirit, his unwavering determination and the lasting legacy he leaves behind in the companies he founded and the countless people he influenced,” he added.
