• Join Puck

    Directly Supporting Authors

    A new economic model in which writers are also partners in the business.

    Personalized Subscriptions

    Customize your settings to receive the newsletters you want from the authors you follow.

    Stay in the Know

    Connect directly with Puck talent through email and exclusive events.

  • What is puck? Newsletters Authors Podcasts Events Gift Puck Careers

Murdoch’s Audience of Two

Was Rupert’s ‘retirement’ notice intended to signify his ride off into the sunset or denote his full-blown support of Lachlan—or, more likely, was it meant for an audience of his daughters, Liz and Prue, whose votes may control the family trust?

Lachlan, James, Anna and Rupert Murdoch in New York City, 1987.
Lachlan, James, Anna and Rupert Murdoch in New York City, 1987. Photo by Ron Galella via Getty
Matthew Belloni
September 22, 2023

It was fun to have Michael Wolff on my podcast today. I know Wolff is a controversial, polarizing figure, especially in media circles. But I’ve always appreciated his willingness to go there, journalism orthodoxy be damned. I hadn’t seen him in years, and he’s been on quite a ride—embedding inside the Trump White House during those chaotic first 100 days, selling more than 1.7 million copies of Fire and Fury, becoming a national figure worthy of SNL caricature, following with two more Trump books, and now, on Tuesday, The Fall, about the turbulent and possibly final days of the Rupert Murdoch media dynasty.