Rupert Murdoch, the 93-year-old media mogul who founded Fox News and owns the Wall Street Journal, is facing the potential loss of editorial control over his empire after a failed legal maneuver to secure his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, as his successor. A ruling by a Nevada commissioner has thrown the future of Fox News and other Murdoch-owned outlets into uncertainty, sparking celebration among Rupert’s other children, who may steer the company in a different direction.
According to a sealed document obtained by the New York Times, Commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. concluded that Murdoch acted in “bad faith” when attempting to amend the family’s irrevocable trust. The trust, which divides ownership equally among Murdoch’s four adult children, was designed to protect the beneficiaries’ interests after his death. Gorman’s ruling accused Murdoch of crafting a scheme to ensure Lachlan’s control over programming, regardless of how it would affect the rest of the family.
The ruling has intensified an ongoing family feud. James, Elisabeth, and Prudence Murdoch, who are far less conservative than their father and Lachlan, welcomed the decision. “We welcome Commissioner Gorman’s decision and hope that we can move beyond this litigation to focus on strengthening and rebuilding relationships among all family members,” they said in a joint statement.
Lachlan Murdoch currently chairs News Corp., the parent company of Fox Corp., the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and other influential outlets. Since his father’s step-down in 2023, Lachlan has been seen as a torchbearer for Murdoch’s center-right editorial vision. Rupert Murdoch’s desire to keep his media holdings firmly rooted in conservative commentary is now at odds with his children’s competing visions, particularly James and Elisabeth, who are rumored to favor a shift toward more mainstream, left-leaning coverage.
This power struggle could lead to significant changes in American media. If Lachlan cannot secure full control, he may need to buy out his siblings’ stakes in the company. However, the fractured relationship with James, who is reportedly working with Elisabeth and Prudence to challenge Lachlan’s dominance, complicates this scenario.
The potential fallout has wider implications for conservative media. Fox News, long the dominant force in right-leaning news, is already facing challenges from competitors like Newsmax and One America News (OAN). On Monday, OAN announced a primetime show for former congressman Matt Gaetz, while Newsmax recently surpassed CNN in ratings. If Fox drifts from its conservative roots, it could trigger a massive realignment in the media landscape, reshaping where millions of Americans turn for news and analysis.
Rupert Murdoch’s legacy, it seems, is now at the mercy of his family’s bitter power struggle, and the future of his empire hangs in the balance.