Rupert Murdoch reportedly tried to buy CNN — twice


Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch has on more than one occasion expressed interest in buying CNN, Reuters reports. Murdoch reportedly reached out twice to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson in the last six months, and one source told Reuters that Murdoch asked about buying CNN in both calls. Another source countered that Murdoch has "zero interest" in buying CNN.
The report of Murdoch's alleged interest in CNN comes two days after The New York Times and Politico reported that the Justice Department wanted to force a sale of Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting or AT&T's DirecTV before it would approve an $85 billion merger between Time Warner and AT&T. An anonymous news executive who spoke to The Daily Beast said Thursday that the DOJ's request was "politics plain and simple, and an incredibly brazen attempt at interference in a totally straightforward business deal." President Trump has long feuded with CNN and is said to speak to Murdoch on the phone frequently.
In 2014, Time Warner rejected an $80 billion offer to be purchased by Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox. On Friday, Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman reported that a person close to Murdoch claimed that the 86-year-old executive said that "he'd work behind the scenes" to stop the merger between Time Warner and AT&T.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
6 lounge-ready homes with conversation pits
Feature Featuring a terrazzo-flanked pit in California and a fire-side pit in Nevada
-
Home energy: Bills are up, efficiency is out
Feature The Energy Star program saves Americans billions of dollars, but the Trump administration plans to 'eliminate' it.
-
5 of the best shows currently playing on Broadway
the week recommends It's a very good season for theater in New York City
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect