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How Fox News works


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Gee, what a shame

 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-murdoch-family-feud-that-could-end-fox-news-as-we-know-it?ref=home

 

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Lachlan Murdoch is supposed to be enjoying the 60th birthday celebration of The Australian this week. His father Rupert founded the paper in 1964 to fulfill his father Sir Keith Murdoch’s dream that Australia would one day have its own national newspaper.

But instead of that dynastic vision being feted in their homeland, the Murdochs are dealing with the aftermath of a bombshell revealing that they are a deeply fractured family—and showing just how far Rupert, 93, will go to protect his idea of dynasty. In this case, from beyond the grave.

 

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I’m writing a biography of Rupert for Hachette’s Grand Central Publishing and got wind a few weeks ago that there was a kerfuffle over the family trust in the run-up to Rupert’s marriage—his fifth—to the Russian-born molecular biologist Elena Zhukova. I had presumed it had something to do with the arrival of a new wife.

Another source had told me that only Lachlan had attended the wedding in early June at the Moraga vineyard in Bel Air, California, which seemed strange. The mysterious Israeli-American investor Vivi Nevo was there, so was the Patriots owner Bob Kraft and News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson. But Murdoch's daughters Elisabeth and Prudence were not. (Rupert and his younger son Jameshave been estranged for some time.)

 

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But on Wednesday, New York Times reporters Jim Rutenberg and Jonathan Mahler revealed the bombshell which exploded that family trust kerfuffle into the open: A secret court case that pits Rupert against Prudence, Elisabeth and James. Prudence is the only child from his marriage to first wife Patricia. He had Elisabeth, Lachlan and James with second wife, Anna. He also has Grace and Chloe from his third marriage to Wendi Deng; they have no voting stake in the family trust.

The case is Rupert’s attempt to cement Lachlan as undisputed heir and stop other children from meddling with the political leanings of Fox and News Corp after he dies. (Lachlan is CEO of Fox and Chairman of News Corp.)

 

Spoiler

Rupert’s theory goes that, once he has passed, James, Liz and Prudence will try to neutralize Fox News and break up the wider company. (Semafor reported an intriguing rumor in April that KKR-controlled Axel Springer was eyeing The Wall Street Journal, one of the jewels in the crown.) Cutting them out of power will guarantee its financial success.

Lachlan’s siblings, “were caught completely off guard by their father’s efforts to rewrite what was supposed to be an inviolable trust and have united to stop him,” the Times reported. A trial in September set by a Nevada probate commissioner will determine whether Rupert is acting in “good faith,” in resetting the terms.

It seems a sad state of affairs to be fighting with three of your children at such a late stage in life. All the Murdoch children posed for a beautiful group photo for Vogue when Rupert married Jerry Hall in London in March 2016. (Rupert famously ended that marriage by email six years later. His only true love, always, is business.)

But hints that something was happening have existed for some time.

I interviewed Lachlan for Business Insider in 2021. Even then, his intention to keep control of the company he’d been running as CEO since 2019 was clear. “It’s a terrific job. It’s one I look forward to for decades and decades into the future,” he told me over the phone from Australia.

Then there were Rupert’s references to Lachlan when the mogul announced his retirement last November. “My father firmly believed in freedom, and Lachlan is absolutely committed to the cause,” he said. “Self-serving bureaucracies are seeking to silence those who would question their provenance and purpose. Elites have open contempt for those who are not members of their rarified class.”

Was such a strongly worded comment a shot across the bow at three of his kids?

The maneuverings are not without precedent. Rupert learned a lesson he would never forget after his own father’s death: Control is everything. Sir Keith got to the top of the masthead at the Melbourne Herald and Weekly Times and tried to cobble together a handful of newspaper shareholdings to pass to his son, but they were mostly snatched away and sold off after his death. A 21-year-old Rupert was left to sort out the mess.

Now, he’s trying to make sure Lachlan doesn’t have to duke it out with family foes after he passes. From wherever the 93-year-old is going next, the masterful media mogul wants to ensure Fox and News Corp. remain aligned to his own conservative political beliefs.

 

Rupert may have a case that neutralizing Fox News won’t be good for the family’s fortunes. Whatever you think of the network, viewers seem to enjoy what they are selling. In a week bookended by an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden’s decision to abandon his campaign to remain in the White House, Fox News had a 70 percent of cable audience share in primetime, the highest in its history, and averaged five million viewers for the week, according to a company press release. 

The Times story is fascinating but leaves some questions unanswered. Who gave them access to sealed documents? Where is Wendi Deng in all of this? She seems to have remained on surprisingly friendly terms with her ex-husband—she had introduced Rupert to Elena Zhukova and attended the Allen & Co. billionaire mogul camp in Sun Valley this month. So did Rupert. 

I tried to get hold of Anna Murdoch to see what she thought but was told she isn’t home and is instead on the yacht sailing for the summer.

I asked another contemporary of Rupert’s for his thoughts on the latest saga. He wrote back two words: “Logan Roy.”

 

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On 7/25/2024 at 6:59 PM, WhatTheBuck said:

In case you missed it, the full panel (and original chyron):

IMG_3905.thumb.jpeg.0e20c102d377dc6a8c74264bfde1d310.jpeg

Those are some damn good folding chairs.

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Fox News was on for less than 20 seconds at the in laws as we tried to get the input changed to Netflix. In that 20 seconds I learned Harris is the most radical Democrat we have ever seen and will 100% destroy this country. 

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Fox News was on for less than 20 seconds at the in laws as we tried to get the input changed to Netflix. In that 20 seconds I learned Harris is the most radical Democrat we have ever seen and will 100% destroy this country. 

Funniest part of that is it is a madlibs statement and their followers just lap it up every time it repeats.
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20 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Is 4 more years of an old, tired Trump better for Fox's bottom line, or 4 years of relentlessly demeaning an uppity black woman every segment?

12 minutes ago, tx ind said:

The latter for sure

The Office Yes GIF
 

Fox News does much better if Harris in the White House, because it’s got four years of angry viewers tuning in to hear how they are going to be forced to get abortions while ODing on fentanyl and have to house illegals immigrants in their homes and how their car dealership and real estate jobs are going to be taken away and given to illegal immigrants as well.  Look at the boost they got with Biden dropping out and Harris coming in.

Trump in the WH - they get what they want and are more content.

Edit: MAGA was primed for Trump after 8 years of the Kenyan Muslim atheist Marxist community organize from Chicago in the White House.

Edited by atomheartbevo
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The easiest way to combat the "weird" thing is to show them acting normal as much as possible. Thing is, there is no fucking normal public appearance any of them makes. They are just weird through and through. 

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20 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Is 4 more years of an old, tired Trump better for Fox's bottom line, or 4 years of relentlessly demeaning an uppity black woman every segment?

Donald almost figured out the answer to that question  he’s been reposting a shitload of anti-Fox News stuff over the last day

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7 hours ago, immamac said:

The easiest way to combat the "weird" thing is to show them acting normal as much as possible. Thing is, there is no fucking normal public appearance any of them makes. They are just weird through and through. 

yes, that's the definition of weird. not being able to be do normal things normally. thanks for that. 

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49 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Donald almost figured out the answer to that question  he’s been reposting a shitload of anti-Fox News stuff over the last day

7b3f6a458fda5ea0.jpg

“The most misinformed than from other stations.”

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I don't know about that.  I mean, FOX has made my FIL an expert on women's basketball.  And this is no small feat seeing as how he's never watched a minute of it and can name exactly one person who plays it- or who has ever played it for that matter.

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On 7/30/2024 at 2:25 PM, atomheartbevo said:

Donald almost figured out the answer to that question  he’s been reposting a shitload of anti-Fox News stuff over the last day

GTwQSQSWIAAQoga?format=png&name=900x900
22635009a5107369.jpg

7b3f6a458fda5ea0.jpg

Perfect that the foxnews arm is molesting her.  

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17 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

Well, Laura.....that may have SOMETHING to do with the fact that your dude is....a fucking loser.  And you're a loser for fucking worshipping him as a god.  Together, you are part of a movement of epic loserdom, celebrating loserness, in loserville, at loser o'clock.  You COULD do something about that.  Like, start with not pulling for the loser, and instead pulling for America.

But you won't.  Because you are nothing but shit, from top to bottom, from skin to the core of your being.  So, wallow in your losery shittiness, you loser piece of shit.

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25 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Well, Laura.....that may have SOMETHING to do with the fact that your dude is....a fucking loser.  And you're a loser for fucking worshipping him as a god.  Together, you are part of a movement of epic loserdom, celebrating loserness, in loserville, at loser o'clock.  You COULD do something about that.  Like, start with not pulling for the loser, and instead pulling for America.

But you won't.  Because you are nothing but shit, from top to bottom, from skin to the core of your being.  So, wallow in your losery shittiness, you loser piece of shit.

So you're not a fan?

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Fox News needs to take a page from CNN's sudden switch to trying to sway things for Trump and realize that Kamala Harris is good for business. Just like Obama was. You need Kamala a lot more than you need Trump. 

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