Former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch resigned from the News Corp board due to “disagreements over certain editorial content” published by news outlets the company owns.
Murdoch has been on the board of directors for News Corp, his family’s company, since 2013. His short letter of resignation came Friday – six months after he publicly condemned the company’s promotion of climate denial stories, according to The Daily Beast.
“I hereby tender my resignation as a member of the Board of Directors of News Corporation (the ‘Company’), effective as of the date hereof,” Murdoch’s resignation letter reads. “My resignation is due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the Company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions.”
Murdoch was seen fundraising for former Vice President Joe Biden in July, according to the Washington Examiner’s Joe Gabriel Simonson. (RELATED: Rupert Murdoch Just Dragged The Government Into A War With Google. Here’s How He Might Win)
Sorry, meant this month. Thought it was August!
— Joe Gabriel Simonson (@SaysSimonson) July 31, 2020
“We’re grateful to James for his many years of service to the company. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of News Corp and Lachlan Murdoch, the co-chairman, told the Daily Caller in a statement.
Rudy Takala, a reporter and editor for Mediaite, tweeted that Murdoch “reportedly wants to invest up to $1 billion in left-leaning media outlets.”
“On July 31, 2020, News Corporation (the ‘Company’) received a letter from James R. Murdoch tendering his resignation from the Company’s Board of Directors (the ‘Board’), effective immediately,” News Corp wrote. “Mr. Murdoch informed the Company that his resignation was due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the Company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions.”
“As a result of Mr. Murdoch’s resignation, the size of the Board was reduced to 10 Directors, effective upon such resignation.”
News Corps owns multiple media companies, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox network.