If Rupert Murdoch is worried about the psychopathology and fascistic megalomania of Trump as much as we are, there could be drastic ramifications for how Fox News covers him.
I never watch Fox News… but we should stay alert for indications at some point that Rupert Murdoch has abandoned Trump…. if he does there will be a shift, subtle or obvious, toward Fox becoming balanced for the first time. I don’t see them as ever abandoning championing the right wing agenda, but Trump is not ideologically pure. Murdoch has to know this by now.
Fox News could become more like MSNBC, favoring the conservative focus, but also presenting the progressive side the way MSNBC does the opposite.
While Murdoch wants Fox News to be the only mainstream right wing network because that is where the money is, he also has a political agenda which may not be as reactionary as many liberals think it is.
Consider this excerpt from Wikipedia on Murdoch, who became a naturalized American citizen in 1985, about his political activities in the United States:
McNight (2010) identifies four characteristics of his media operations: free market ideology; unified positions on matters of public policy; global editorial meetings; and opposition to a liberal bias in other public media.[108]
On 8 May 2006, the Financial Times reported that Murdoch would be hosting a fund-raiser for Senator Hillary Clinton's (D-New York) Senate re-election campaign.[109] In a 2008 interview with Walt Mossberg, Murdoch was asked whether he had "anything to do with the New York Post's endorsement of Barack Obama in the democratic primaries." Without hesitating, Murdoch replied, "Yeah. He is a rock star. It's fantastic. I love what he is saying about education. I don't think he will win Florida... but he will win in Ohio and the election. I am anxious to meet him. I want to see if he will walk the walk."[110][111] Murdoch is a strong supporter of Israel and its domestic policies.[112]
In 2010, News Corporation gave US$1 million to the Republican Governors Association and $1 million to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.[113][114][115] Murdoch also served on the board of directors of the libertarian Cato Institute.[116] Murdoch is also a supporter of the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect Intellectual Property Act.[117]
Murdoch is a supporter of more open immigration policies in western nations generally.[118] In the United States, Murdoch and chief executives from several major corporations, including Hewlett-Packard, Boeing and Disney joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to form the Partnership for a New American Economy to advocate "for immigration reform – including a path to legal status for all illegal aliens now in the United States."[119] The coalition, reflecting Murdoch and Bloomberg's own views, also advocates significant increases in legal immigration to the United States as a means of boosting America's sluggish economy and lowering unemployment. The Partnership's immigration policy prescriptions are notably similar to those of the Cato Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—both of which Murdoch has supported in the past.[120]
The Wall Street Journal editorial page has similarly advocated for increased legal immigration, in contrast to the staunch anti-immigration stance of Murdoch's British newspaper, The Sun.[121] On 5 September 2010, Murdoch testified before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law Membership on the "Role of Immigration in Strengthening America's Economy." In his testimony, Murdoch called for ending mass deportations and endorsed a "comprehensive immigration reform" plan that would include a pathway to citizenship for all illegal immigrants.[119]
In the 2012 U.S. Presidential election, Murdoch was critical of the competence of Mitt Romney's team but was nonetheless strongly supportive of a Republican victory, tweeting: "Of course I want him [Romney] to win, save us from socialism, etc."[122]
In May 2013, Murdoch purchased the Moraga Estate, an estate, vineyard and winery in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California.[123][124]
In October 2015, Murdoch stirred controversy when he praised Republican Presidential candidate Ben Carson and referenced President Barack Obama, tweeting, "Ben and Candy Carsonterrific. What about a real black President who can properly address the racial divide? And much else."[125] After which he apologized, tweeting, "Apologies! No offence meant. Personally find both men charming."[126]
en.wikipedia.org/...
Murdoch is smart. The Oxford graduate didn’t make his $12 billion by being stupid. He built his media empire from two newspapers into the world's second-largest media conglomerate.
He wants his news organization to be an alternative to what he thinks is the left leaning bias of the other mainstream media. Because Fox News competes against stalwarts NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, comparative newcomer CNN, and of course MSNBC which has carved out a spot further to the left than the others, Fox News is guaranteed the highest ratings.
From what I’ve read, Murdoch is not an ideologue — and he may be thinking about the psychopathology combined with the shift towards totalitarianism of Trump and Trumpism as much as we are. You can bet that Murdoch has read “1984.”
I expect that now with Roger Ailes gone, and Murdoch as acting CEO of Fox News, he is paying more than his usual attention to the network and what effect he wants it to have on Trump’s tenure.
Murdoch has power, he has exercised it to great effect. He is not one to underestimate. He knows who influential Fox News is. He know what will happen if it stops fawning over Donald Trump.
Aha, there, I’ve just written an optimistic piece about Trump for Daily Kos, the second in one day. If you’ve read my stories before you know how rare this it is for this morose pessimistic old man.
I made a revised version of the image above suitable for posters: