Fox News, with Murdoch and Ailes at the helm, transformed news into a massive engine of confirmation bias. It was a safe space for Americans, most of them older and white, to have their fantasies affirmed: Immigrants were pouring into the country, crime was out of control, their way of life was under threat from sources both foreign and domestic. For decades, it pushed conspiracies of every stripe and played a major role in pushing numerous disasters, from the Iraq War to the January 6 insurrection. Pushing conspiracies was and is Fox’s business plan: It exists to tell its viewers that their political opponents are not just their adversaries but represent an existential threat.
There is already hope in some corners that things will improve at Fox after Rupert’s exit. There is no reason to believe this will be the case, however. His son Lachlan, who is taking over, is a close friend of Tucker Carlson; describing himself as a “political independent,” he has shown no interest in shifting Fox’s coverage in any direction, particularly one that would hurt its profitability. Lachlan’s siblings are more liberal—James, the older sibling who was once seen as the heir apparent, left the company and has since spent most of his time working on liberal causes relating to climate change and democracy. Lachlan’s two other siblings, who will also be on the board, are also more liberal than him. But Lachlan holds the reins.