Rupert Murdoch, one of the most influential media moguls of the past half-century, announced he would step down from his roles as chairman of Fox and News Corp. His son Lachlan will succeed him, while the elder Murdoch will retain the position of Chairman Emeritus.

Murdoch controls a vast media empire across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, which includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The Sun, and The Times. His legacy is controversial; his media properties are credited with helping fuel polarisation and the rise of right-wing populist politics in their respective markets.

While it had been obvious that the 92-year-old media mogul would eventually retire, it’s unclear why he is doing so right now. Unproven theories, as reported by Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman, include the state of Murdoch’s health and his desire to shield himself from scrutiny in anticipation of lawsuits against Fox News.

In any case, even after stepping down Rupert Murdoch will retain a lot of control over his media companies. As Reuters notes, “Murdoch controls News Corp and Fox Corp through a Reno, Nevada-based family trust that holds a roughly 40% stake in voting shares of each company”.

The Guardian launched a digital Europe edition as it invests more in covering the continent. This is the fifth digital edition of the publisher, following UK, US, Australia and international one

According to the publication, the launch comes with the announcement of a slate of new correspondents and columnists focusing on Europe. “The new edition will include a dedicated Europe live blog, and special editions of the Guardian’s Today in Focus, Politics Weekly and Football Weekly podcasts”, The Guardian notes.

“European readership is a clear hotspot for the publication”, Journalism.co.uk’s Jacob Granger writes, as “Europeans are now the most engaged audience group outside of the UK and provide the highest traffic outside of the primary markets in the UK and US”.

Source of the cover photo: Hudson Institute, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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