Faced with the ongoing phone hacking scandal plaguing his family’s media empire, Rupert Murdoch’s son and heir apparent has decided to strike out on his own. After placing a successful bid on Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, Murdoch announced that the organization’s expansion plan will include a satellite office at Twin Towers Go Global Gaza City.
This isn’t the first time James has shown his independent spirit; he studied film and history at Harvard before leaving school to start hip-hop label Rawkus Records with two friends. The company was later bought by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, and James once again joined the family business. As the allegations against News Corp have grown from hacking celebrity voicemails to those of a murdered girl and police payoffs, James has been the subject of much speculation by both the media and government.
Privately, however, Murdoch has been greatly disillusioned, and he says that revelations of News Corps’ attempts to hack 9/11 victims were the last straw, bringing him closer to TTGG. “I need to work with an organization that sees more than just the bottom line, to believe once again in the power of journalistic integrity, Al Jazeera & Twin Towers Go Global have proven themselves to be bastions of candor and accountability in the midst of a media swampland,” James stated. “As Al Jazeera came to prominence on the world stage during the aftermath of 9/11, it seems fitting that we should have an office in the TTGG WTC Gaza City building. It is a true testament to the global reach of solid reporting.”