News Corp’s Australia business to begin campaign for carbon-neutral economy: report

Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp’s Australian division is planning to launch a campaign advocating for a carbon-neutral future, The New York Times reports.

The project is expected to explore a path to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, executives told The Times.

The campaign will include features and editorials across News Corp’s newspapers, including the company’s 24-hour news channel Sky News.

A senior newspaper employee for News Corp told The Times that the project had been under development for months, and that several political and businesses figures had been given advanced notice.

News Corp did not respond to requests for comment from the Times.

The Hill has reached out to News Corp for comment.

Climate change has been a source of controversy with News Corp. Last year, Rupert Murdoch’s son James Murdoch and his wife criticized the company for its coverage of climate change amid wildfires that raged in Australia.

“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,” James and Kathryn told The Daily Beast last January.

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

James Murdoch would later resign from News Corp.’s board, over editorial decisions.

Asked about the reports, Sky News head Paul Whittaker told an Australian Senate panel that his network will look at carbon neutrality, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

However, he downplayed the notion that his network was running a“campaign.”

“I think it’s a question of interpretation about saying that that’s a campaign,” Whittaker said, according to the newspaper. “From Sky’s point of view, we’re seeking to explore the policies and solutions.”

As a company, News Corp advertises that it is driven by minimizing its impact on the environment. The company is looking to reduce its fuel and electricity carbon emissions 60 percent by 2030, and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.