As bushfires continue to devastate Australia, James Murdoch and his wife are publicly rebuking the climate denialism of the media companies helmed by his own family.

I’ve previously reported on News Corporation’s efforts to both downplay the fires and play up climate denialism in their influential papers. That, apparently, is too much for Rupert’s son, James Murdoch, who sits on the News Corp. board.

From The Daily Beast:

“Kathryn and James’ views on climate are well established and their frustration with some of the News Corp and Fox coverage of the topic is also well known,” a spokesperson for the couple exclusively told The Daily Beast as wildfires rage in Australia.

“They are particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial among the news outlets in Australia given obvious evidence to the contrary.” 

The extraordinary public rebuke from Kathryn and James—who is the CEO of Lupa Systems, a private investment company he founded—comes as Australia has been ravaged by the worst fires seen in decades. The blazes have claimed 27 lives and destroyed thousands of properties across multiple states, with an estimated 1 billion animals feared dead. News Corp Australia dominates the country’s media landscape, publishing more than 140 newspapers and employing 3,000 journalists in print, broadcast, and online.

The Daily Beast hints that there may be something of a revolt going on at News Corp. “One longtime News Corp. executive, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation” is quoted as saying, “The majority of people who work here agree with James. We are hoping this may be the tipping point.”

Let’s hope so.

In case you missed it in our previous post, watch a January 9, 2020 CBS This Morning report below on efforts to rescue some of the animals endangered by the fires which have burned more than 25 million acres since September.