Business

Lucky Lachlan Murdoch takes over father’s media empire

By CM Chaney · September 22, 2023

In brief…

Lachlan Murdoch has been named successor to his father's media empire.
He becomes sole chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corporation, owner of the the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.
Lachlan rose to power in recent years under the tutelage of his father.
Rupert Murdoch built a global media empire over 70 years, starting with Australian papers in 1952.

After years of speculation, Lachlan Murdoch (above with wife Sarah) has been anointed to sole chair of his father Rupert's global media empire. Eva Rinaldi/Wikimedia

Lachlan Murdoch has been named the sole successor to his father Rupert’s vast media empire after years of speculation over which of the Murdoch children would take control.

The 52-year-old Lachlan will become the chairman of Fox Corporation - which includes Fox News - and News Corporation, owner of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, publisher HarperCollins, Realtor.com, and other properties.

Rupert Murdoch, 92, built his business over the past seven decades, starting with a newspaper inherited from his father in Australia in 1952. He aggressively expanded his operations into the United Kingdom and the United States, acquiring papers, launching the Fox television network, buying the 20th Century Fox studio, and founding Fox News in 1996.

While Lachlan’s siblings, Elisabeth and James, were seen as contenders for the chairmanship position, Lachlan was able to assert increasing control over the sprawling media conglomerate in recent years. He was named co-chairman of Fox and News Corp along with his father a few years ago, and was appointed CEO of Fox News in 2019.

In 2020, James broke with the company over editorial disagreements after backing Joe Biden’s campaign. Elisabeth has focused on her TV production career.

As head of Fox News, Lachlan has had to navigate through a controversial period in the cable news channel’s history, including coverage of the contentious 2020 election, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dominion voting machine lawsuit, and the removal of Tucker Carlson.

Although he has allegedly privately criticized Trump, Lachlan is expected to maintain Fox’s longstanding conservative approach to news. Rupert Murdoch will remain involved as chairman emeritus.