Murdoch Documentary Reveals the Might of Right Wing Media Mogul
Superfans of HBO’s Succession who hungered for more sordid tales of despot media moguls and their dysfunctional families would be wise to watch The Murdochs: Empire of Influence which debuted Sunday on CNN. Based largely on a 2019 New York Times Magazine expose of Rupert Murdoch’s ruthless, relentless creation of a global media kingdom, there is enough scandal and internecine drama in the docuseries to make Succession’s fictional patriarch Logan Roy look like a poor carbon copy.
A stunning display of right-wing media power run amuck, Empire of Influence builds a potent case for how Rupert Murdoch’s insatiable lust for power and profit has turbocharged white nationalism and the decline of democracy, while ultimately putting his three adult children – Lachlan Murdoch, Elizabeth Murdoch and James Murdoch – at each other’s throats.
Having covered Rupert Murdoch for many years, including the revolutionary launches of the Fox network in 1986, Fox News’ birth a decade later and beyond, watching the seven-part Empire of Influence was a bit like reliving a media nightmare. There are reminders of the toxic culture at Fox News and the salacious sex scandals that ended the careers of Roger Ailes, the man who ran the network with an iron fist and roving hands, and its once-biggest star Bill O’Reilly.
Fraud, Lies and Other Scandals
But new reporting comes to light about how, in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection, Fox News became a loud-and-proud primetime home for Trumpian voter fraud lies, with Tucker Carlson leading the charge. Also on display is the relentless havoc Murdoch’s New York Post has wrought, most notably in its promotion of Trump’s jagged journey from wannabe media mogul in the early ‘90s to eventual White House winner. The series spares nothing in covering Murdoch’s signature cheapening of news and his assault on media literacy through tabloids in his native Australia and in the United Kingdom. Notably, in episode five, there are illuminating details about the horrific phone hacking scandal (a murdered schoolgirl was among those exploited) that hit his News of the World.
CNN Has Issues of Its Own
The seeming triumph of the docuseries is muted by the fact that it’s a minor miracle Empire of Influence made it to CNN primetime in the first place. Greenlit by former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, the docuseries had a virtually invisible run last spring on CNN+, the network’s ill-fated streaming service that was shut down a month after launch. The decision to deep-six CNN+ was made by CNN’s new corporate-parent Warner Bros. Discovery, whose chief David Zaslav had installed Chris Licht to lead the news organization, with an apparent dictate to make the news organization less partisan. The goal was to return the news net to its charter, and a time when founder Ted Turner liked to say: “at CNN, news is the star.”
Much informed speculation about CNN’s new direction has focused on multibillionaire John Malone, who is on the WBD board and has given millions to arch-conservative causes, including $250,000 to President Trump’s 2016 inauguration committee. In a CNBC interview last November, Malone said he would “like to see CNN evolve back to its roots.” However, he suggested the network use Fox News as a model of sorts that, in his opinion, was a mix of “actual journalism, embedded in a program schedule of all opinions.”
Since taking charge, it appears Licht got the memo from his superior. He has courted leading GOP politicians to assure them they will get a fair hearing on his channel. Late last August, when he fired CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter and canceled long-running media criticism show Reliable Sources, there was a collective cheer from the Right, especially from Fox News. Early in his tenure, Licht had sent internal signals that he was no fan of Stelter, the author of the bestseller Hoax: Fox news and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth; and thought no good came from Stelter’s ongoing Twitter wars with Fox News personalities.
A Classic Catchphrase
Right-wing media and conservative politicians may have cheered Stelter’s demise, as well as welcoming the exit of White House correspondent John Harwood and the recent move of ever-jabbing Trump critic Don Lemon from primetime to morning. Still, there has been fallout from Licht’s tactics. Voices from the media chattering class saw CNN’s editorial independence at risk to the corporate powers-that-be. Indeed, if Licht had buried such a well-crafted docuseries Empire of Influence, which was produced in partnership with The New York Times, it would seem as if the network were steering even harder to starboard than it appears.
At the premier of Empire of Influence, Vanity Fair’s Joe Pompeo spoke to Amy Entelis, the CNN executive who oversees the network’s premium long-form programming. Entelis, a holdover from the Zucker regime, did her best to defang and depoliticize the docuseries, with clear understanding of whom she now serves. “I think if you’re an admirer of Rupert Murdoch and the family, you probably will love this show,” said Entelis. “And if you’re not, it appeals to people who want to understand how it all came to pass. It has broad appeal to everyone.”
I’d agree with Entelis on the latter, not the former. Empire of Influence does acknowledge Murdoch’s programming genius, and lauds the extremely risky launch of Fox in the mid-80s that invigorated primetime with shows such as The Simpsons, In Living Color and Married with Children. But it’s telling that, at the end of each episode and before the credits rolled, it’s noted that Rupert and his Succession-like brood declined to participate. My educated guess is that when they were asked by the producers, their collective response, more or less, reflected Logan Roy’s favorite catchphrase: “F‑‑k Off!”
