American journalist Gabriel Sherman, after nearly two decades covering the Murdoch family, has released a gripping book detailing Rupert Murdoch's relationship with his children and the acrimonious war over his media empire's succession. The conflict peaked in 2024 when Rupert attempted to amend a 1999 trust to give his son Lachlan full control, leading to legal action from his other children, Prudence, Elisabeth, and James. They eventually agreed for $1.1 billion each but are now reportedly estranged from their father.
The book's brevity is praised, as Sherman condenses decades of Murdoch's dominance into over 200 pages, revealing patterns of ruthlessness. This is illustrated by personal accounts, such as Murdoch firing an editor the morning after his father's funeral, and his manipulative treatment of his children, notably making Elisabeth fire James after the News of the World phone-hacking scandal.
The feud had implications beyond the family, touching on Western democracy as Lachlan's pro-Trump Fox News agenda clashed with James's stance against misinformation. By handing control to Lachlan, Murdoch secured his empire's direction but, as Sherman suggests, destroyed his family in the process, leaving one to wonder if his children would have traded their fortune for a functional family.