How News Corp. Outlets Are Covering Rupert Murdoch’s Divorce

The filing put his company's publications in a tough spot — here is how they reported it

News Corp. chairman-CEO Rupert Murdoch filed for divorce from his wife, Wendi Deng Murdoch, on Thursday, putting his many media outlets in a tough spot: How to report on a sensitive subject about the man who controls 40 percent of the parent company.

Most kept their reports simple and straight-forward.

Also read: Rupert Murdoch Divorce: How Costly Will His 3rd Split Be?

Here is how The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News and The Sun handled the story. 

The New York Post did not go there with its cover or back page Thursday or Friday. One could argue that this kind of story may have been right up its alley, had Murdoch not been paying the bills. Here is the tabloid paper's brief report in full:

Rupert Murdoch has moved to divorce his wife of 14 years, Wendi Deng Murdoch, according to a filing with New York State Supreme Court. A spokeswoman for News Corporation, which owns the New York Post, confirmed that Rupert Murdoch had filed the papers yesterday morning, and his court papers said the “relationship between husband and wife has broken down irretrievably.” They have two daughters, Grace, 11, and Chloe, 9, and live in New York. Murdoch, 82, met Deng, 44, when she was an executive at his company’s Star TV division in Hong Kong. They wed in 1999 aboard the media mogul’s 155-foot yacht in New York Harbor. We understand a prenuptial agreement is in place. Ira E. Garr of law firm Garr Silpe is representing Rupert Murdoch in the divorce.

Also read: Rupert Murdoch Divorce: How the Prenup Will Affect News Corp.

The Wall Street Journal just stuck to the facts of the filing and family voting structure. There were no quotes or sources cited other than the publication's parent company spokesperson confirming the filing of the one-page divorce document.

The India edition of the Journal included far more detail.

Also read: Rupert Murdoch, Wendi Deng Getting Divorced After 14 Years

FoxNews.com simply picked up the Associated Press report. The most detailed story of the four selections (not counting the WSJ's India edition), offered the legalese regarding the filing, the family structure and voting breakdown as well as the upcoming division of News Corp. A bio of Deng Murdoch at the end included the fact that her 2011 movie "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" did not recoup its $6 million budget.

Also read: News Corp. CFO David Devoe to Retire

The Sun in the U.K. was the briefest of all. This is what the tabloid published on Thursday:

Mr Murdoch, 82, the head of The Sun’s parent company News Corporation, filed a petition with the New York Supreme Court stating their 14-year marriage had “broken down irretrievably”. They have two daughters.

A News Corp spokesman said the divorce will have 'zero impact' on the firm.

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