Tuesday, February 16, 2021

As Fox News Struggles at Home, Murdoch Brings Its Playbook to the U.K.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: His venture and another upstart by a rival group of investors will challenge the BBC and Britain’s efforts to guard against political bias in television news.

LONDON — Beset by declining ratings, upheaval in its on-air ranks and a multibillion-dollar defamation suit related to its election coverage, Fox News is staggering out of the Trump era — blamed by many for seeding the poisonous political culture that brought a violent mob into the halls of the United States Capitol.

Yet in Britain, where television news is regulated to avoid political bias, Rupert Murdoch and a competing group of investors are seizing this moment to create two upstart news services that will challenge the BBC and other broadcasters by borrowing heavily from Mr. Murdoch’s Fox playbook. » | Mark Landler | Tuesday, February 16, 2021