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Who will Rupert Murdoch banish from the fox kingdom?
The President of Fox Corporation is facing an increasingly serious scandal that threatens to cause significant financial and reputational damage to the crown jewel of his media empire, Fox News, as well as parent company he leads. The scandal, exposed by the Dominion Voting System’s $1.6 billion blockbuster lawsuit, unearthed disastrous information, revealing the right-wing talk channel, fueled by financial interests. push, ready to lie to the viewer.
The staggering level of misconduct exposed in recent weeks raises questions about the future of Suzanne Scott, the chief executive officer of Fox News. Will she be Murdoch’s sacrificial lamb? No action is currently taking place immediately, CNN was told. But there’s certainly a chance – maybe even a chance – that Murdoch could undo her in an attempt to save herself and her legacy.
The Murdochs “are certainly trapping Suzanne Scott to plead guilty,” said Ben Smith, editor-in-chief of Semafor, who write a media column on Sunday nightsaid Wednesday.
David Folkenflik, NPR media reporter and Murdoch biographer, added: “They are leaving a trail of debris leading back to her office.
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There is no shortage of evidence to support the point that Scott is being slashed. Most notably, during his ouster, Murdoch sought to distance himself from decision-making at Fox News. Instead, he pointed to Scott: “I appointed Ms. Scott to the job… and I delegated everything to her,” he said. In doing so, Murdoch makes the case that Scott is in charge of the network – and that if there is misconduct, that responsibility will be on her. Of course, astute media watchers know that Murdoch is the one who actually directs. But it’s not hard to see how the company can advance this story.
This is not the first time Murdoch has faced a serious and embarrassing problem in his media empire. In 2011, his now-defunct News of the World was caught up in a wiretapping scandal. In 2016, Fox News founder Roger Ailes was charged in an explosive sexual harassment lawsuit. And in 2017, host Bill O’Reilly was embroiled in a scandal over his own sexual misconduct.
In each case, Murdoch made the decision to cut ties with senior personnel. As a source who worked in Murdoch-world said on Wednesday, “His model is to throw some money in the water and give a head or two in the process to make it go away.” And cutting ties with Scott appears to be one of the easier acts of subversion for Murdoch during his decades at the helm of one of the world’s largest media empires.
Folkenflik says: “Looking back at past scandals, Murdoch and companies tend to try to pay early and quietly to make things pass, or they ignore them thinking they are too big to have. can overcome anything,” said Folkenflik. “And then when things get really serious, they try to burn the wound as low as possible.”
“If he throws [Scott] in the end, he will only do it because he thinks he needs to burn the wound before it spreads further,” added Folkenflik. “That’s his record. That’s what he does. It could be the editor. It could be the CEO. It could be the stars. He didn’t throw himself aside.
Jim Rutenberg, a former media columnist for The New York Times who has a long history of covering Murdoch, echoed that view.
“Mudoch has a history of sacrificing loyal lieutenants, but he only does it under the most extreme circumstances,” says Rutenberg. “We know that he hates doing it. We know that he tends to try to fight for his loyalists, even for Ailes, certainly for O’Reilly. But when it comes to overcoming a real threat to his business, he does it.”
Whether the circumstances have reached the boiling point remains unclear. The Dominion lawsuit, which has already caused major reputational damage to the Fox News brand, is still in the pre-trial stage of the case. It’s unknown what might happen after the weeks-long trial, in which celebrity executives and hosts like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity were called to court. And it remains to be seen whether outside forces, such as potential shareholder lawsuits, emerge and put more pressure on Murdoch to act.
Despite that, it’s worth noting that Murdoch himself signaled that layoffs could be imminent. When asked if Fox News executives who knowingly authorize the “broadcasting of lies” face consequences, Murdoch replied affirmatively, “They should be reprimanded, ” he said. “They should be reprimanded, possibly fired.”
As Folkenflik noted, “If you’re Rupert, you can’t fire Rupert. And you won’t shoot [Fox CEO] Lachlan [Murdoch] or. So who will you chop?
Folkenflik explains: “Everybody who took up a senior executive position under Rupert Murdoch knows that that was the case, that it was the ultimate fall position. “They understand it’s part of the job. You are paid very well. It can be a somewhat flashy life. If you don’t have the support of the sun king, or it works in his favor, that’s part of the equation.”
We’ll see what Scott’s fate looks like in the end. Currently, Fox has not made any public statements of support for her. When I reached out to a Fox spokesperson on Wednesday to request comment, the company declined.
