Murdochs Resolve Succession Dispute, Solidifying Conservative Media Control

Sun Sep 14 2025 02:52:46 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Rupert Murdoch's family has reached a significant agreement in their long-standing succession battle, allowing Lachlan Murdoch to lead the family media empire, including Fox News and The Wall Street Journal.

The Murdoch family's succession saga concludes with Lachlan Murdoch gaining control of their media interests, ensuring a conservative slate with Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. This agreement ends years of sibling rivalry and positions Lachlan at the helm as other siblings divest from the conservative-oriented empire.

A years-long succession battle for control of Rupert Murdoch's conservative media empire has drawn to a close, with his son Lachlan set to control the news empire.

The deal, which the family announced on Monday, will ensure the ongoing conservative leaning of Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post even after 94-year-old Rupert's death.

Under the agreement Lachlan will control a new trust while siblings Prue MacLeod, Elizabeth Murdoch, and James Murdoch will cease being beneficiaries of any trust with shares in Fox or News Corp.

This resolution comes after years of tension between the media mogul and three of his children regarding the future of the family-owned outlets.

The Murdoch family's internal turmoil served as inspiration for the hit television drama 'Succession.'

As part of the deal, Lachlan's more politically moderate oldest siblings are poised to sell their holdings in Fox and News Corp in the coming months. They will also be named as beneficiaries of a new trust, which will receive cash from the sale of approximately 14.2 million shares of News Corp and 16.9 million shares of Fox Corp, enabling them to distance themselves from the media conglomerate's conservative agenda.