New Yorker
Author and contributor to the New Yorker
PROFILE
Ken Auletta
Guest
FROM Ken Auletta
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Murdoch Moves In a surprise move, 83-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch is giving his two sons new positions in his companies, apparently setting them up to succeed him. Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert’s oldest son, was named non-executive co-chairman of 21st Century Fox and the News Corp. today. Meanwhile Lachlan’s brother, James, has been promoted to co-chief operating officer at 21st Century Fox. The new appointments have big implications for the future of the Murdoch media empire.
To the Point
New York Times Given Junk Status In May, $400 million of debt will come due for the owners of the New York Times . With advertising revenue practically disappearing, the timing couldn't be worse. A $250 million loan from Mexican telephone mogul Carlos Slim will help, but not enough for Moody's Investment Services to change its last week's labeling of the Times as a " junk-level " investment. Ken Auletta, a columnist and contributor to the New Yorker magazine, is working on his eleventh book on the future of the media.
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How do Trump supporters feel about the Paris Accord? Globally and around the U.S., there are strong opinions whether or not the Paris Climate Accord is a good idea. The American exit is either a horrifying abdication of American leadership or a forceful and long overdue statement about U.S. sovereignty.
Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
Bookworm
Claudio Magris: Blameless In Claudio Magris' Blameless, a museum of the implements of war and destruction is created to inspire peace. But this conversation is not just about war and peace.
Bookworm
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."