What’s Next for the Murdochs? Ken Auletta Explains

Ken Auletta has spent decades chronicling the most powerful figures in media — from Rupert Murdoch to Harvey Weinstein. In 2026, he sees a media landscape that’s more chaotic, competitive, and vulnerable than ever. In this episode of The Breaker Pod with Lachlan Cartwright, Auletta breaks down the Murdoch family succession battle, what drives Rupert Murdoch, and what the empire could look like after him. He also reflects on his legendary New Yorker career, the craft of profiling powerful people, and the risks of access journalism in an era of PR handlers and corporate pressure. Along the way, Auletta shares behind-the-scenes reporting stories — from nearly exposing Harvey Weinstein years before the scandal broke to helping Ronan Farrow with his subsequent research at The New Yorker — and offers a candid look at the pressures facing journalists today, from political attacks to risk-averse media owners. 00:00 Inside the Murdoch dynasty and what the doc missed 01:38 What the Netflix Murdoch doc got wrong 03:26 The family settlement and hidden NDAs 05:10 Profiling Rupert Murdoch up close 07:03 How Auletta landed access to Murdoch 09:19 Elizabeth Murdoch and the succession battle 11:15 Will the Murdoch family ever reconcile? 13:24 The dangers of access journalism 14:48 Dealing with PR handlers and gatekeepers 15:52 What drives Rupert Murdoch? 17:16 What happens to the empire after Rupert 19:38 Why Fox News remains so powerful 21:01 The Harvey Weinstein reporting story 23:30 How Ronan Farrow broke the Weinstein case 25:23 What surprised Auletta about the trial 28:15 The future of The New Yorker 31:08 Why legacy media still survives 32:10 The New York Times’ unexpected business model 33:34 How Auletta picks his subjects 35:01 The profile that stuck with him most 36:35 Roy Cohn’s influence on Trump 37:50 Who he still wants to profile 39:17 Why subjects feel “betrayed” by profiles 41:00 Why journalism is more dangerous than ever #media #journalism #podcast #murdoch #rupertmurdoch #succession #interview #news #foxnews #newyorker #trump #harveyweinstein #digitalmedia #press #breakingnews #politics #politicalcommentary #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #viral #trending #explore 👉 Subscribe to the newsletter for original scoops, behind-the-scenes media drama, and reporting you won’t get anywhere else: https://www.breakermedia.com/subscribe 🎙️ New episodes weekly — exposing power, decoding media, and asking better questions. 💬 Like, comment, and subscribe to stay in the loop on how the media actually works.