A letter. Few, clear words: differences on editorial content and strategic divergences. Nothing more. But the more is between the lines of that letter. James Murdoch, once one of the designated heirs of one of the media dynasties that made global business and politics history for decades, slams the door in the face of his family. He breaks all remaining ties with News Corp, leaving his seat on the group’s board of directors. A group that, despite being a shadow of itself after the sale of most of its film and media activities to Disney, still retains a rare political influence. Which he often uses in favor of President Donald Trump and conservative and ultra-conservative currents that James wanted to disavow.
The rare weight of Murdoch is undoubted in the collective imagination: it inspires sagas on the small screen, most recently the Hbo show, Succession. And it is beyond doubt in reality: with News Corp they check assets such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post in the United States, the Times and the Sun in Great Britain and newspapers in Australia. The family also controls the popular Fox News channel in America, whose flagship shows are President Donald Trump’s most effective megaphones.
