By Ken Afor
The Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said there won’t be any difference at News Corp when Lachlan Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch takes over as chairman of the company.
Rupert Murdoch who announced his resignation as Chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corp on Thursday will pass on the baton of leadership to his son, Lachlan after 70 years being in charge.
His decades of leadership in the American media space and of course Australia disrupted the political terrain in both countries entrenching a conservative style of politics in countries where he has footprints on.
Many believed the media magnate was a powerful force in American, Australian and British politics.
Weighing in on his resignation, Turnbull who is not surprised says the media magnate has left America more angrier and divided since the civil war.
“He’s built a vast global media empire, and no doubt the business pages will give him credit for that. But he has done enormous damage to the democratic world and, in particular, to the United States,” he said.
He added: “The anger-tainment ecosystem that Fox News, above all, has created in the US has left America angrier and more divided than it’s been at any time since the civil war. It is sought in order to keep its ratings up, it is sought to enrage Americans, divide Americans, and divide them against each other.”
On Lachlan’s new role, the Australian PM sees him more ideological than his father and business will go on as usual.
“I think Rupert has always been fascinated by power — he’s drawn to it like a moth is to a flame — and so he’s enjoyed exerting the power that he has over the political system. And Rupert’s politics have evolved to be broadly right-wing, I would say.
“But, I agree, I think Lachlan is, if anything, more ideological than his father. So, I don’t think there’s going to be any change for the better, that’s for sure,” he added.
Also, British finance minister Jeremy Hunt, says Murdoch had great influence in British politics but lauded his doggedness and achievements in the media.
Noted Hunt: “Well, he is someone who, love him or loathe him, had a defining influence on all of our lives over the last half century.
“I recognise there’ll be lots of other things that he’s done over the years that people disagreed with. But I don’t think anyone would disagree this was an absolutely formidable operator.”
