Media Maestro & Billionaire Buffoonery: The Rupert Murdoch Trivia Trove!

Welcome to the world where media magnates are the real superheroes (or supervillains, depending on your viewpoint), and billions are just spare change found under sofa cushions. Today, we unravel the enigmatic tapestry of the one and only Rupert Murdoch, a man whose age seems to be the only thing not growing exponentially.

1. The Odyssey of an Aussie Icon

Born on March 11, 1931, in the land of kangaroos and Vegemite, Rupert Murdoch inherited a newspaper in Adelaide in 1952. With destiny’s wind at his back, he sprinted towards a future filled with power, influence, and a bank account with more zeros than a high school math book.

2. Fox News: The Rebel of the Airwaves

1996 marked the year Murdoch sprinkled his revolutionary pixie dust on the world. Creating the Fox News Channel, he brought political talk radio to television. In just six years, this rebel outclassed the old guards like CNN and MSNBC, with a little help from 9/11’s 24/7 coverage.

3. A Symphony of Media Ventures

While Fox News might be Murdoch’s crown jewel, he didn’t stop there. He challenged American TV’s Big Three with the Fox broadcast network and added prestigious names like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post to his collection.

4. The Billionaire’s Playground

By 2020, Forbes estimated Murdoch’s family’s wealth at $19 billion. This made him one of the richest media moguls in history. It allowed him to build a luxurious lifestyle, including mansions, yachts, and the occasional private jet ride around the world.

5. The Legacy Continues

Rupert Murdoch announced his retirement in November 2023. But the Murdoch saga is far from over, with his son, Lachlan Murdoch, ready to wield the media wand. And when the celestial newsroom eventually welcomes Rupert, the Murdoch legacy will echo through his four adult children sharing the media kingdom equally.

6. The Pen of Michael Wolff

Michael Wolff, the scribe known for his works on the Trump administration, has inked a new book titled “The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty.” This literary piece offers a magnifying glass over Fox News’ labyrinth and the Murdoch lineage, revealing the intricate tapestry of power, politics, and family dynamics.

7. The Trump Conundrum

Wolff’s book vividly depicts Murdoch’s complex relationship with Donald Trump. It suggests a cocktail of disdain and loathing, especially in his twilight years. It was even claimed that Murdoch harbored a wish for Trump’s demise. Quite the plot twist for a man whose network was a significant trumpet for Trump.

8. The Ailes Saga & Murdoch’s Departure

The book also sheds light on Roger Ailes’ tumultuous tenure and Murdoch’s dramatic exit from Fox News, predicted by Wolff the night before it unfolded. Wolff’s book quotes Ailes as saying Fox’s audience was stuck in a 1965 time warp – reminiscing about the era before significant civil rights movements like the Voting Rights Act. As you may remember, Ailes, once Fox News’ big boss, fell from grace amid multiple sexual harassment accusations. Guess Fox News’ viewers are not the only ones leading an ancient lifestyle.

The Rupert Murdoch Trivia Quiz!

Now that you know all the facts about Rupert Murdoch, how about a news quiz?

Rupert Murdoch Mini Quiz

7 Quick Multiple-choice general knowledge questions about Rupert Murdoch and his media adventures. No time-limit. How smart are you today?

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1. What did Fox owner Rupert Murdoch admit to in his deposition on Dominion Voting System’s defamation suit?

Screenshot: Reuters – YouTube

He admitted that he secretly voted for Joe Biden and regretted it.

He admitted he could have stopped his hosts from spreading election lies.

He admitted he was the infamous Q behind the QAnon conspiracy theory.

He admitted that he had a crush on Sidney Powell and wanted to impress her.

Rupert Murdoch testified under oath that some of his Fox News hosts knowingly endorsed the false narrative that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. According to legal documents revealed on Feb. 27, 2023, he said he could have ordered them to stop but didn’t. He also said that, in hindsight, he wished they had been stronger in denouncing the fraud claims. This admission was part of a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems, which makes voting machines and software. Dominion claims that Fox News defamed it by airing false allegations that its machines were rigged to favor Joe Biden over Trump.

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2. Joe Biden says Rupert Murdoch makes him look like what?

Screenshot: C-Span

A wise and experienced leader.

A grumpy and senile old man.

A young and handsome pop star.

A hip and trendy basketball star.

President Biden delivered this joke at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 29, 2023. The 80-Year-Old Biden said that Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul who owns Fox News, makes him look like former One Direction member Harry Styles in comparison. He joked about his age and his critics who think he is too old to run for re-election. Biden also addressed serious issues at the event, such as press freedom and Americans wrongly detained abroad. Get the essential White House Correspondents’ Dinner trivia facts here.

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3. Who replaced Rupert Murdoch at Fox and News Corp. after his retirement?

Screenshot: 7 News Australia – YouTube

Lachlan Murdoch

James Murdoch

Elisabeth Murdoch

Prudence Murdoch

As of Nov. 2023, Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul, will be chilling in his new role as chairman emeritus of both Fox Corp. and News Corp. media holdings, with Lachlan Murdoch taking over his previous roles. And when Murdoch Sr. joins the magnificent newsroom in the sky, control of the Fox empire will become a family affair, with all four of Murdoch’s adult children having an equal say.

4 / 7

4. How much notice did Tucker Carlson get before being kicked out of Fox News?

Screenshot: Tucker Carlson on Twitter

10 weeks.

10 days.

10 hours.

10 minutes.

Tucker Carlson found out about his firing 10 minutes before it was announced on Monday, April 24, 2023. He was reportedly fired by Rupert Murdoch, Fox News’ owner, following input from senior Fox officials. According to several sources, Carlson’s exit was related to a lawsuit by a former producer who accused him of sexism. It was also related to the Fox defamation lawsuit settled for a record $787.5 million. Get all the Tucker Carlson exit facts you need here.

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5. In addition to paying Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to settle their defamation suit, what else did Fox News have to do?

Screenshot: Fox News

Apologize profusely and beg for forgiveness on air.

Acknowledge that “certain claims” about Dominion were false.

Fire all the hosts who spread election lies and hire new ones.

Rename itself Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems Network.

Fox News acknowledged that “certain claims” it made about Dominion were false as part of the settlement agreement reached on April 18, 2023. This was shortly before a trial was set to begin in Delaware Superior Court, sparing Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch a court visit. Dominion sued Fox News in 2021 for $1.6 billion, alleging that the network defamed it by broadcasting baseless allegations from former President Trump and his allies. Despite privately expressing skepticism and ridicule about the claims, Fox hosts repeatedly argued on air that Dominion was tied to the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, paid kickbacks to politicians, and flipped millions of votes from Trump to Biden. Fox News said it hoped the settlement would allow the country to move forward from the issues. Dominion said it represented “vindication and accountability.” Fox News did not apologize.

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6. Which American cable news network was the first to air a permanent 24-hour news ticker?

Screenshot: Fox News

CNN.

MSNBC.

FOX News.

Newsmax TV.

On Sep. 11, 2001, at 10:49 am ET, FOX News employed a 24-hour news ticker for the first time in the US (Sky News, also owned by Rupert Murdoch at the time, did the same – on the same day – in the UK). FOX News removed its on-screen ticker on Monday, Apr. 26, 2021.

FOX News and 9/11 Facts

In the days after the 9/11 attacks, FOX News’s audience surpassed CNN for the first time. In 2003, the right-wing news network was reaching 3.3 million Americans in time for the Iraq invasion. A year later, its Republican party conference broadcast ratings beat those of the three major broadcast networks.

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7. On HBO’s Succession, what is Pierce Global Media?

Screenshot: Succession / HBO

A Wall Street Journal-like company.

A News Corp-like company.

A nonprofit organization promoting sustainable agriculture.

A chain of pizza restaurants owned by the Roy family.

Pierce Global Media (PGM) is a fictional media conglomerate with news outlets and television networks featured on HBO’s Succession. The company is a major plot point in the show’s final season, inspired by Rupert Murdoch’s purchase of the Wall Street Journal in 2007. Logan Roy’s company in the series Waystar Royco is loosely based on Murdoch’s News Corp. In the fourth season’s first episode, which premiered on March 26, 2023, the Roy siblings fight their father over PGM.

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• Media Quiz
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Sources

We cross-checked our Rupert Murdoch trivia facts with the world’s finest news providers.

• The Washington Post: Michael Wolff’s “The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty”
• The Guardian: The Fall: The End of the Murdoch Empire by Michael Wolff review – a succession of absurdities
• The New York Times: Rupert Murdoch to Retire From Fox and News Corporation Boards
• Variety.com: Rupert Murdoch’s Exit Predicted Night Before Media Baron Stepped Down
• The Independent: Bombshell new book claims Rupert Murdoch often wishes Trump was dead
• Evening Standard: Inside Michael Wolff’s new book The Fall and Tucker Carlson’s firing