Charlie Pierce (And Others) On Rupert Murdoch's Legacy

Click here for Charlie Pierce's article at Esquire.com (in which he confesses that he worked for a Murdoch newspaper, the Boston Herald, for six years).

Unfortunately, now that Murdoch has stepped down, the Murdoch empire falls under the control of his son Lachlan, who is every bit as bad.

Here's the opinion of The Lincoln Project, a clip titled "The Lincoln Project: Rupert Murdoch Was An Arsonist Who Set Fire To American Politics To Make Billions":

“Rupert Murdoch’s legacy is one of division and destruction. No one has done more to divide our nation than the Murdoch family and FOX News. 

“Murdoch created an extremist MAGA propaganda factory that poisoned the minds of millions of Americans for power and profit. An immigrant himself, Murdoch did more to encourage hatred of those who would come here to make a better life for their families than any other person in modern history. 

“Murdoch and FOX News pushed the false conspiracies of a stolen election that enraged their viewers until they finally stormed the Capital. Fox has already had to pay nearly $1 billion for their election lies, and we sincerely wish them billions more in costs and damages.

“No one should expect anything different now that Lachlan Murdoch is in charge. He will still push the same conspiracy theories, let the hackneyed hosts control the airwaves, and fill their viewers with a warped reality that only furthers their bottom line. 

“Sadly, the family’s legacy is in good hands with Lachlan.”

And click here  for an article at The Guardian by Margaret Sullivan entitled "Rupert Murdoch's reign at Fox News is over. But the damage he did may last forever"; subbtitle, "The media tycoon wreaked untold havoc on American democracy and beyond."

“In Fox News, Murdoch created a uniquely destructive force in American democracy and public life, one that ushered in an era of division where racist and post-truth politics thrive,” said Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, reacting to Murdoch’s decision to step down from the Fox and Fox News boards and to be succeeded by his son Lachlan.

She quotes cultural historian Linda Hirschman as saying:

“From the beginning in the British tabloids 50 years ago, he unleashed the power of hate-filled rhetoric, setting the working-class ‘blokes’ against the elites, a crucial step in creating a movement of rightwing populism.”

Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, "sees a grim future ahead under Murdoch the son, calling him a less competent leader than Rupert but one whose worldview is 'even more brutal.'"