Jul 31, 2020 - Economy

James Murdoch exits News Corp. board

Jacob Knutson

Former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch filed a letter of resignation from the board of News Corp. on Friday in light of disagreements over editorial content published by the company-owned news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and New York Post.

What he's saying: “My resignation is due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the Company's news outlets and certain other strategic decisions," Murdoch's letter reads.

News Corp. is one of two media companies operated by the Murdoch family, the other being Fox Corp., the parent company of Fox News and the Fox broadcast network.

The big picture: Employees at News Corp’s Wall Street Journal have recently urged their bosses to reevaluate the content and integrity of their opinion sections, Axios’ Sara Fischer reports.

280 WSJ and Dow Jones journalists sent a letter to the paper’s publisher last week asking for clearer differentiation between news and opinion content online.

Between the lines: James Murdoch and his wife Kathryn Murdoch contributed $615,000 each to the Biden Victory Fund this June, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

James Murdoch has previously backed Democrats, including former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and ex-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 Democratic primary.
James Murdoch told The New Yorker last year that "there are views I really disagree with on Fox."

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James Murdoch exits News Corp. board

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