Fox News Troubles Heighten Scrutiny of Rupert Murdoch’s Plan to Acquire Sky -
By MARK SCOTTAPRIL 9, 2017
Rupert Murdoch has long sought to add Sky, the British satellite and news giant, to his stable of global media outlets
that includes movie studios, newspapers and cable networks like Fox News.
Martin Moore, director of the Center for the Study of Media, Communication
and Power at King’s College London, said 21st Century Fox’s proposed acquisition of Sky and its large British news operations could further expand Rupert Murdoch’s control of the British media industry.
Yet after the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News
that led to the ouster of Roger Ailes, its chairman, and the revelation of several settlements involving Bill O’Reilly and allegations of inappropriate behavior, Mr. Murdoch and 21st Century Fox now face renewed scrutiny over their plans to buy the 61 percent stake in Sky that they do not own.
While 21st Century Fox remains confident that it will finally take control of Sky, its critics are also calling on the British regulator to think hard about the potential dominance
that the Murdochs may exert over the country’s media if the deal is approved.
British officials also must decide if 21st Century Fox
and its executives pass a “fit and proper test,” or judgment on whether the people who will run the merged company are fit to do so.
