Billionaire media baron Rupert Murdoch angered critics with one particular part of his announcement that he was stepping down as Fox Corp. and News Corp. chair.
In a memo to colleagues on Thursday, Murdoch railed against so-called “elites” who he claimed “have open contempt for those who are not members of their rarefied class.”
“Most of the media is in cahoots with those elites, peddling political narratives rather than pursuing the truth,” he added.
Critics on X, formerly Twitter, accused Murdoch of gaslighting, self-delusion, dishonesty and obliviousness, given his vast wealth and decadeslong influence over global politics via his media empire that counts America’s top-rated cable news channel, Fox News.
Hard to fathom the level of self-delusion here. Please enjoy these pictures of Rupert's yacht. https://t.co/OeDTOnLGa9 https://t.co/34Xc0npUkn
— Nina Burleigh (@ninaburleigh) September 21, 2023
From Rupert Murdoch’s ‘retirement’ statement. A paragraph which is about as dishonest as any you will read anywhere. Murdoch not only IS the elite, but ultimately decides what constitutes ‘the elite’ - gaslighting those who point out the dishonest pic.twitter.com/8o0zugYEfQ
— emily bell (@emilybell) September 21, 2023
The thing to understand about Murdoch, and Trump, and Gaetz and so so many more is that they're all the boss' son. Got all their advantages in life from daddy and then go around with a chip on their shoulder.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) September 21, 2023
Gaslighting till the end. Good riddance. https://t.co/kR8gY37XGr
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) September 21, 2023
https://t.co/k5XMyeTIFX pic.twitter.com/JVGQL57aKR
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) September 21, 2023
Guaranteed the "elites" he's picturing here are not his fellow yacht owners. https://t.co/SjoUKP4rb1
— Schooley (@Rschooley) September 21, 2023
If you’re one of the richest men in the entire world and the head of a media empire that has impacted the course of global events, you don’t get to sneer at other people as “elites” https://t.co/Tkfi6HuP58
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) September 21, 2023
This is so unfair to Rupert Murdoch. NOWHERE in Rupert's memo did he say he's not part of the elites peddling political narratives instead of pursuing the truth, all with contempt for regular people. He was clearly just describing himself and his friends. https://t.co/Wh5mtEMIZ5
— 🦕 Jon Schwarz 🦕 (@schwarz) September 21, 2023
Rupert Murdoch is a billionaire whose father was knighted by King George V https://t.co/Vt7MVeyBeg
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) September 21, 2023
This might be the single least self-aware correspondence ever crafted. https://t.co/7AYEPQf1fj
— Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) September 22, 2023
The gall of this man, who has imposed his preferences on the UK, Australia and the US for generations, pretending to be against ‘elites’ https://t.co/rx7u7VKEwA
— Hari Kunzru (@harikunzru) September 21, 2023
Very cool to be a billionaire who was just forced to pay 800 million for lying to the public about their democracy complain about elites treating the proles contemptuously https://t.co/Gk5qNyBtB4
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) September 21, 2023
According to Business Insider, Rupert Murdoch is worth over $8 billion.
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) September 21, 2023
He IS part of the “elites” lol https://t.co/rqxftLfKS0 pic.twitter.com/eW9HgDBM4V
Rupert Murdoch, whose net worth is 17.4 billion, signs off as boss by railing against the “elites.” https://t.co/aTwvL6Fhi7
— Matt Zoller Seitz (@mattzollerseitz) September 21, 2023
Rupert Murdoch ranting about…the elites. Words don’t mean things anymore, I guess. https://t.co/PqvxUn2CpE
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) September 21, 2023
1. Convince viewers the "elites" are not the billionaires and their millionaire employees.
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) September 21, 2023
2. Get them to vote for Republicans.
3. Republicans cut taxes for the billionaires and their millionaire employees. https://t.co/5DZazsVOf5
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