Fox News mogul’s son Rupert Murdoch accuses media of peddling ‘lies’



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  • James Murdoch, son of Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch, had attacked news outlets “spreading lies” for their role in unleashing “insidious and uncontrollable forces that will stay with us for years to come”.
  • “These media that spread lies to their audiences have unleashed insidious and uncontrollable forces that will stay with us for years to come,” the younger Murdoch told the Financial Times on Friday.
  • Murdoch parted ways with the family empire last year after reports revealed he and his wife Kathryn were frustrated with some of News Corp’s coverage of climate change.
  • Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.

James Murdoch, the youngest son of Rupert Murdoch, has publicly attacked “owners of the media” and news organizations for their role in promoting false election claims that contributed to the deadly riots on the US Capitol this week last.

In an interview with the Financial Times published Friday, Murdoch said the siege on Capitol Hill, which left five people dead, is “positive proof that what we thought was dangerous is indeed very, very good.”

“These media that spread lies to their audiences have unleashed insidious and uncontrollable forces that will stay with us for years to come,” the younger Murdoch said, according to the FT. “I hope those people who didn’t think it was that dangerous will understand it now and stop.

Read also: ‘It was degrading’: Black Capitol guard staff talk about what it felt like cleaning up mess left by violent pro-Trump white supremacists

Murdoch did not mention any particular media outlet, although Fox News – the company owned by his father and older brother, Lachlan – has previously come under fire for peddling unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud after the 2020 election, which was first made by President Trump.

His comments are the strongest rebuke in the industry since he decided to break away from the family media empire last year.

Murdoch announced his resignation from the News Corp board in July. The multinational media company owns several US newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

In a statement at the time, Murdoch said he chose to leave “because of disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions.”

According to multiple reports, James and his wife Kathryn were frustrated “with some of the News Corp and Fox coverage” on climate change as wildfires swept through most of Australia last year.

Murdoch’s youngest son has since turned to his foundation called Quadrivium, which according to his website aims to promote initiatives related to democracy, voter participation and climate change, among others.

In a separate statement released after the FT interview, Murdoch and his wife wrote: “The spread of disinformation – whether it’s about elections, public health or climate change – has real-world consequences.”

“Many media owners have as much responsibility in this regard as elected officials who know the truth but instead choose to spread lies. We hope that the horrific scenes we have all seen will eventually convince these facilitators to repudiate the toxic policy they once promoted. and forever, ”they added, according to CNN Business.

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