James Murdoch resigns from News Corp. board over ‘disagreements’ on editorial content

James Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has resigned from the board of News Corp. citing “disagreements” over certain content published by the company’s news outlets.

In a brief resignation letter released on Friday, Murdoch said his decision was "due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company’s news outlets” and “certain other strategic decisions.”

News Corp. disclosed the letter in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, saying his resignation would take effect "immediately."

A spokesperson for Murdoch refused to comment further on the reasons behind the resignation, telling the New York Times his letter “speaks for itself.” 

News Corp, which is the parent company of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, is controlled by billionaire Rupert Murdoch. The company also owns the Times, Sunday Times and Sun newspapers in the UK, as well as a number of Australian publications.

The Murdoch family also owns Fox Corp., which is the parent company of Fox News.

James Murdoch had been on the company's board since 2013. The youngest son of the media magnate, he had sought to distance himself from the company and his father's political views in recent years.

Last year, he told the New Yorker that he "really disagrees" with some views expressed on Fox News and admitted there are "periods of time" when he and his father do not speak. He also criticized news outlets owned by his father's company earlier this year, saying they had downplayed the impacts of climate change as bushfires raged in Australia.

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