Fox News is throwing a party for Rupert Murdoch

The end of an era took place when Fox News threw a going-away party for outgoing chief executive Rupert Murdoch at the media company’s annual meeting.

He has been in power for so many decades that many found it hard to believe he was moving on and handing the reins to his son Lachlan Murdoch.

“On his final day as executive chairman of Fox Corp., Murdoch spent the morning in Los Angeles on the Fox Studio Lot in Century City, where he attended Fox’s annual shareholder meeting at the lot’s Zanuck Theater,” he said. The Hollywood Reporter pointed out.

“But unlike News Corp.’s annual meeting earlier in the week, where Murdoch spoke and delivered opening remarks, at Fox’s annual meeting he merely attended, leaving his chosen son Lachlan Murdoch to conduct proceedings, along with board members such as Chase Carey, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott,” the outlet added.

(Video credit: Sky News Australia)

The eviction was packed with a reel that spanned Murdoch’s 70-year career. It highlighted its acquisition of 20th Century Fox and the launch of the Fox Broadcast Network. He also covered his deal with the NFL and the creation of Fox News.

“I’d like to be remembered, if I am, as someone who was a catalyst for change and good,” Murdoch declared in a taped interview that ended the reel.

At the time, Lachlan Murdoch thanked his father on his and Fox’s behalf:

Father, on behalf of the Fox board, leadership team and all the shareholders who have benefited from your hard work: we thank you for your vision, your insatiable curiosity and the lasting legacy you leave to the companies that you founded and the countless lives you have impacted. We are grateful that you will continue to serve as Chairman Emeritus, and I look forward to your continued advice and input in the years to come.

Murdoch’s successor proceeded to tout the network’s ratings growth, including a strong NFL season and the growth of Tubi. He also praised the work of Fox’s “brave staff” in war zones.

“Our teams in the Middle East have been working around the clock in the most difficult and harrowing circumstances to bring our viewers the latest news, as well as in-depth analysis and essential commentary on this conflict,” Murdoch told the gathered together “In addition to the war, we have also sadly seen an increase in anti-Semitism both abroad and at home in our own communities. It is important that we all stand up, expose and address all forms of anti-Semitism” .

“Only two shareholders asked questions, one about whether the company’s executive compensation plan accounts for lawsuits like those from Dominion and Smartmatic (Fox board member Chase Carey says the ‘qualitative’ factors and ‘ ‘quants’ involved factor in performance); and another that asked if Fox plans to bring Tubi to more international markets (Murdoch says they will, but will be ‘disciplined’ in doing so),” explained The Hollywood Reporter .

The meeting lasted 30 minutes. With one stroke of Lachlan Murdoch’s gavel, his father’s storied legacy at the helm of the network came to an end.

The meeting took place on Friday. On Monday, Lachlan Murdoch visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev according to one statement. Politico reported that Murdoch was accompanied by Fox News reporter Ben Hall and The Sun reporter Jerome Starkey.

‼️ “The war in Ukraine is not a movie… It will not end quickly.”
The President of Ukraine met with the CEO of Fox Corporation, Lachlan Murdoch, along with reporters from Fox News and The Sun.

“People kind of treat it like it’s a movie, hoping there’s no time… pic.twitter.com/AaCYe0WEMH

— Maria Drutska (@maria_drutska) November 20, 2023

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is a constitutional conservative who researches and writes extensively on politics and current affairs.

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