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The Murdoch family is secretly battling over succession. News outlets are asking a court to make it public

edition.cnn.com The Murdoch family is secretly battling over succession. News outlets are asking a court to make it public | CNN Business

A coalition of media organizations, including CNN, has petitioned a Nevada court to open up the secret proceedings surrounding a legal battle over the future of billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.

The Murdoch family is secretly battling over succession. News outlets are asking a court to make it public | CNN Business

According to the report, Murdoch, the 93-year-old patriarch, filed a petition late last year to amend the irrevocable family trust that would have given equal voting shares to Murdoch’s eldest four children. Instead, Murdoch wanted to grant exclusive control to his eldest son and chosen successor Lachlan, according to The Times.

Lachlan, who is more politically aligned with his father’s conservative views than his siblings, took over as chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corporation last September. Citing the court documents, which CNN has not independently seen, the Times reported that Murdoch felt handing Lachlan control of the media businesses he founded would better protect their value following his death by maintaining its right-wing editorial bent.

But the entire process has been completely sealed in Nevada, with even the existence of the proceedings kept in secret.

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