Alan Jones, the chief executive of Qantas airlines, ‘Home & Away’ actress Kate Ritchie and Sky News Australia presenter Peter Stefanovic were among those in attendance when the soiree was held last December.
But this year’s event will be held against an uneasy backdrop as the would-be heir to Rupert Murdoch’s vast media empire juggles legal battles linked to Donald Trump’s ill-fated bid to regain control of the White House.
Fox Corporation’s executive chairman is fighting two separate defamation lawsuits filed against the company in America over Fox News’ false claims that electronic voting machines helped rig the US election in favor of Joe Biden.
Those cases, brought by polling technology companies Smartmatic and Dominion, set the stage for a stunning reversal on Tuesday, when Lachlan broke with his father’s tradition to launch his own legal assault against Australian news website Crikey.
His lawyers claim an article published on June 29 made “slanderous allegations” that Lachlan had “unlawfully conspired” with Trump to overturn the 2020 presidential election and incite “a mob with murderous intent” to march on Washington. Capitol Building last January.
The legal battles represent the biggest test for Lachlan since his elevation three years ago to the position of heir to the Murdoch empire. Get it wrong, and the crisis risks dealing a reputational and financial blow to Fox. It’s a tough tightrope for Lachlan to walk.
Will Hayward, chief executive of Crikey-owned Private Media, told The Telegraph he was prepared to “defend free speech in the face of extraordinary intimidation”.
“We dared to publish an article suggesting that Fox News and its owners may have some responsibility for the events of January 6,” he added.
“As a result, Lachlan Murdoch, who we have not named, sent a series of letters demanding that we delete the article and publish a full apology or face the courts.
“While we didn’t start this fight, we think it’s worth having and we should make it public.”
The legal battles will intensify the public blowout for Lachlan, who has let billion-dollar deals define his reputation since taking control of Fox in 2019.
His elevation followed years of competition with brother James to curry favor with their father amid uncertainty over who would take over Rupert’s vast media business.
