James Murdoch Quits the Family Business

James Murdoch writes a terse resignation letter
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 1, 2020 12:30 PM CDT
Younger Murdoch Brother Writes Terse Letter: I Quit
In this April 19, 2017 file photo, James Murdoch attends the National Geographic 2017 "Further Front" network upfront at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York.   (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)

Well that's it—James Murdoch is officially out of the family business. The youngest son of media magnate Rupert Murdoch wrote a terse letter Friday quitting the board of directors at News Corp, a conservative publishing empire that owns dozens of newspapers. "I hereby tender my resignation," he wrote, per the New York Times. "My resignation is due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company's news outlets and certain other strategic decisions." His father and Lachlan Murdoch—two top figures at News Corp—wrote an equally opaque response, saying they were "grateful to James for his many years of service" and wished him "the very best in this future endeavors."

The young Murdoch's departure follows months, if not years, of clashes with his father and older brother. James has taken public stands against their conservative views, donating to Pete Buttigieg and PACs supporting Joe Biden; he also railed against climate-change coverage at Fox News and News Corp newspapers as wildfires ravaged his family's home country of Australia, per CNN Business. The Wall Street Journal notes that James had already left his post as chief executive of 21st Century Fox after much of its entertainment unit was bought by Walt Disney Co. James still has a vote in the Murdoch Family Trust, which holds key voting shares in News Corp and 21st Century Fox. (More James Murdoch stories.)

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