‘PRETTY BAD’

James Murdoch Explains Why He Left His Father’s Empire

“A contest of ideas shouldn’t be used to legitimize disinformation.”

Rupert Murdoch’s younger son James says he left the family’s media empire because he didn’t want to “legitimize disinformation.” In an interview with The New York Times, the former board member said he has no objection to a “contest of ideas.” But, he added, “it shouldn’t be in a way that hides agendas. A contest of ideas shouldn’t be used to legitimize disinformation. And I think it’s often taken advantage of. And I think at great news organizations, the mission really should be to introduce fact to disperse doubt—not to sow doubt, to obscure fact, if you will.” Murdoch said he also worried about Fox’s coverage of coronavirus. “I think that we’re in the middle of a public health crisis... Climate is also a public health crisis,” he said “Whatever political spin on that, if it gets in the way of delivering crucial public health information, I think is pretty bad.”