James Murdoch, former chief executive of 21st Century Fox and son of Rupert Murdoch, has stepped down from the News Corp board of directors because of “disagreements over certain editorial content” published by the company’s news outlets.
“My resignation is due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions,” his brief resignation letter reads.
In January, a spokesperson for James Murdoch and his wife, Kathryn, told The Daily Beast that the pair’s “frustration with some of News Corp and Fox’s coverage of the topic is … well known”.
“They are particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial of the role of climate change among the news outlets in Australia, given obvious evidence to the contrary,” the spokesperson said.
At the time, News Corp’s executive chairman defended the climate change coverage by The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun.
“Our coverage has recognised that Australia is having a serious conversation about climate change and how to respond to it,” he said.
“However, it has also reflected there are a variety of views and opinions about the current fire crisis.”
News Corp’s brands include international publishers such as Dow Jones, which includes The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch, and the New York Post.
His father, Rupert Murdoch, has been executive chairman of News Corp since 2013 after the company was separated from 21st Century Fox, and is the chairman of Fox Corp, which operates Fox News, Fox Sports, Fox Entertainment and Fox television stations.
His brother Lachlan Murdoch is the executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corp.
-with agencies
