Success of the Murdoch Empire is aired in the US Court

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A court in the state of Nevada began investigating this Monday the succession conflict between powerful and controversial media man Rupert Murdoch and four of his children, a case with major implications for the future of this flagship media empire. the conservative American network Fox. News.

Despite the protests of American media groups such as the New York Times, which reported on the case, CNN and public radio NPR, the hearings are being held behind closed doors before a probation commissioner in a court in Reno, Nevada in the western part of the country.

American television showed Rupert Murdoch, 93, arriving at the courthouse with his fifth wife, Elena Zhukova.

At the heart of this battle is his project to change the laws of the family foundation in order to control his empire consisting of News Corporation, which has media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post in the States United, The Sun in the United Kingdom, The Australian and Fox Corporation (Fox News), to his eldest son Lachlan after his death.

In a situation worthy of the “Succession” series, partly inspired by family history, three of Rupert Murdoch’s children, James, Prudence and Elisabeth, are against this project, as the bottom -foundation first considering voting rights similar to the four descendants.

For many observers, the case will have important consequences for the future of the Murdoch empire, accused of promoting populism through the newspapers and TV networks in Anglo-Saxon countries, especially Brexit in the United Kingdom or the rise of Donald Trump in the United States. in 2016.

The US network Fox News, which has been at the forefront of America’s conservative ideological battle, has been accused of promoting misinformation about the Covid vaccine and fueling allegations that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. hurt Trump.

Fox News agreed in April 2023 to pay $787.5 million to electronic voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems, the focus of Trumpism conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, the network said.

In this election campaign, Fox News reporters are unconditionally supporting Trump and criticizing, sometimes violently, the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Lachlan Murdoch is considered a defender of the populist and conservative line of his father, who appointed him as director of News Corp and Fox Corporation in the fall of 2023. His three brothers would be more moderate.

James Murdoch, who left News Corp in 2020, has thrown his support behind Kamala Harris.

According to the New York Times, Rupert Murdoch’s lawyers “defend that he is trying to protect James, Elisabeth and Prudence by promising that they will not be able to balance Fox’s policies or disrupt the his job with incessant management fights,” the newspaper writes.

In a preliminary decision, the commissioner of the estate is not against the change of the base, but he must hear the arguments of all the parties during seven days of hearing, according to the court.

After that, it will make recommendations that will not be in public principle, the court told AFP.

News Corp, whose trade value exceeded $10 billion in 2023, is also present in the world of publishing with HarperCollins, and in real estate advertising.

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