Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox and News Corp

Big news from the media world. Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as Chairman of Fox and News Corp as of November, with his son Lachlan succeeding him as sole chair of both. Murdoch will assume the title of Chairman Emeritus of each company, after seven decades in the print and broadcast industries. The Sun king, aged ninety-two, wrote in a note to employees that:

Our companies are in robust health, as am I. We have every reason to be optimistic about the coming years — I certainly am, and plan to be here to participate in them. But the battle for the freedom of speech and, ultimately, the freedom of thought, has never been more intense.

He began his career in newspapers aged twenty-two when he inherited a half share in two Adelaide papers and went on to build the most powerful media empire on the planet. Talk about a good innings…