Murdoch's Mixed Messages: Fox Corporation's Chairman Acknowledges Black Lives Matter, but News Corp Australia Insists Racism is Rare in the US

Strategic Insights -

Lachlan Murdoch, the executive chairman of Fox Corporation, sent a memo to staff acknowledging the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement and acknowledging the pain and shock caused by the death of George Floyd. However, some of the Murdoch family's Australian outlets, including News Corp Australia, have been dismissive of the protests and protests in the US, with some pundits claiming that racism is rare and that systemic racism does not exist in the US.

Key Takeaways:

  • Lachlan Murdoch acknowledged the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement and the pain and shock caused by the death of George Floyd in a memo to Fox staff.
  • News Corp Australia pundits, including Greg Sheridan and Andrew Bolt, have been dismissive of the protests and have claimed that racism is rare and that systemic racism does not exist in the US.
  • The Australian's foreign editor, Greg Sheridan, claimed that most African Americans are middle class and do not suffer daily racism, and that he had never seen any racial confrontation or heard any racist remarks during his four visits to the US.
  • Andrew Bolt called on Indigenous women Linda Burney and Brooke Boney to apologise for discussing black deaths in custody in Australia on RN Breakfast, and accused the ABC of fanning the flames of race resentment.
  • News Corp has been making massive cuts to its Australian businesses, including shutting down two more brands: whimn.com.au and Stellar, and laying off an estimated 204 journalists.

Statistics:

  • The ABC's Four Corners is working on a documentary about Rupert Murdoch and his influence in Australia.
  • News Corp lost US$1 billion in the three months to the end of March.
  • The ABC has a far bigger audience for its online news than any of the Murdoch mastheads, with ABC News being No 1 for the fourth month in a row.
  • News Corp's Australian newspaper audience is declining, with news.com.au plummeting from No 2 to No 6 in the Nielsen digital content ratings.
  • The protests in the US and the return of live sport have seen coverage of coronavirus drop below 50% of all news articles for the first time in nearly three months.

Sources:

  • The memo from Lachlan Murdoch to Fox staff.
  • The Australian newspaper articles by Greg Sheridan and Andrew Bolt.
  • Twitter accounts of Sleeping Giants Oz and Pauline Pantsdown.
  • The ABC's online news article about the ABC's Four Corners documentary on Rupert Murdoch.
  • The Sydney Morning Herald article by Brooke Boney.
  • News Corp's company reports and financial statements.
  • Nielsen digital content ratings data.