Oct. 2, 2023

The Murdoch Empire

As Rupert Murdoch steps down as Chairman of Fox and News Corporation at the age of 92. Murdoch controls a media empire that includes cable channel Fox News, The Times of London and The Wall Street Journal. We take a closer look at his achievements and personal life. By: Dylan Low.

Through his long career spanning seven decades, Murdoch has built a reputation from inheriting his father’s local newspaper in Adelaide, Australia to eventually become a media mogul. He has also impacted American politics through his Fox Corporation, resulting in him being loved and hated by some. 

Building the Media Empire

He began by inheriting a small Adelaide newspaper chain, The News, from his father back in the early 1950s. During the 1960s, he owned papers in every Australian state and released The Australian, the first national broadsheet in the country. In 1969, he made his move into Britain’s media market by acquiring The News of The World and The Sun. The 1980s saw him cement his influence in the UK media, as he obtained The Times and The Sunday Times. In 1985, He also entered the US market by purchasing 20th Century Fox, setting up his current brand Fox News and his increasing media presence in the United States.

Murdoch additionally owns media companies in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He owns significant shares of the Papua New Guinea Post Courier, as per Reporters Without Borders. He has also 20 years of activity in India’s media market, with his properties being managed by Star India Private Ltd.

Meet the Murdochs

As time passed, Murdoch’s family became the centre of attention, through inter-family rivalries and business plans. Murdoch married four times and has six children with three wives. 

Lachlan Murdoch is one of Rupert Murdoch’s sons with Anna, his second wife. He is expected to become News Corp chairman and CEO of Fox Corp. He has remained CEO since 2019 after Disney’s merger with 21st Century Fox, working as executive chairman for 21st Century Fox before then. 
James Murdoch is Lachlan’s younger brother. He was CEO of 21st Century Fox, working alongside Lachlan. He also worked at multiple executive positions at News Corp the past few years, however ended up resigning over published newspaper content, involving Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. He mentioned leaving his job “due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company’s news outlets and other strategic decisions.” He also faulted News Cop’s editorial choices and objected to Fox News coverage.

Elisabeth Murdoch is the oldest child from his second wife. She worked as managing director of Sky Networks in the late 1990s but left the company in the 2000s. She set up Shine, her own production company, acquired by News Corp back in 2011. Having emerged with Endemol, she took a backseat from day-to-day operations. She recently co-founded global content company Sister in 2019 and is a current entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Prudence Murdoch is Rupert Murdoch’s oldest daughter from his first wife, Patricia. She had taken up jobs within the company in the past, being on the board of Times Newspaper from 2010 to 2022, which is a subsidiary of News UK owned by News Corp.

Grace and Chloe Murdoch are his youngest children, with his third wife Wendi Deng. They are reportedly in school, with Grace attending Yale University and Chloe joining Stanford University.

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