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Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way: News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch rides with then-News International General Manager Will Lewis as they leave headquarters on July 15, 2011, in London. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Welcome to the latest edition of Breaker. If this email has been forwarded, you can subscribe here and send your questions and complaints here. If you have a tip contact the 24/7 Breaker Tip Hotline via text or Signal # 551 655 2343. Anonymity guaranteed!
In tonight’s edition, Sir Will Lewis departed the Washington Post in February. It came not long after being spotted at a pre-Super Bowl bash he attended, whilst many of his former employees were losing their jobs. But tonight we find out that he hasn’t been sitting idle. In this edition, we reveal where Sir Will has been and the publication, or publications, he has been consulting for.
Also tonight, the legendary Ken Auletta joined us on the Breaker pod this week, and we went deep on the Murdochs – a subject Auletta is currently working on a documentary about. We also chinwagged about that other fun succession parlor game – who will succeed David Remnick at the New Yorker?
Plus, we reveal the name of Reuters’ new media editor, who is one of the best operators in the business. And we also have a scene report from the opening of New York Magazine editor David Haskell’s sculpture show, where a plethora of media players were in attendance.
Finally, it’s Thursday, which means Journo Jobs is back, and tonight we have gigs at: The New York Times, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, CNN, CNBC, and ABC News.
Mentioned tonight: Barry Diller, Graydon Carter, Patrick Radden Keefe, Lachlan Murdoch, James Murdoch, Tina Brown, Elisabeth Murdoch, Matthew Freud, Jim Bankoff, Pam Wasserstein, Genevieve Smith, Erik Maza, Mark Guiducci, Sara Moonves, Derek Blasberg, Mel Ottenberg, Sam Fine, Jess Testa, Michael Grynbaum, William O'Connor, Juleanna Glover, Andrew Kirell, Alexis Swerdloff, Jody Quon, Emma Tucker, Katharine Viner, Christiane Amanpour, Kara Swisher, Michael Gove, Alessandra Galloni, Walter Isaacson, James Harding, Emily Maitlis, Dawn Chmielewski, Ken Li, Nick Haramis, David Kuhn, Jimmy Kimmel, Isabella Simonetti, Charlotte Tobitt, Jonathan Levy, Emily Shugerman, Hannah Williams, Tim Robey, Shalini Ramachandran, John Koblin, Brooks Barnes, Bob Iger, Josh D’Amaro, Dana Mattioli, Manny Getachew, Michael Pescuma, Lauren Starke, Jessica Toonkel, Cat Marnell, Jane Pratt, Oli Coleman, Hua Hsu, Riddhi Setty, Ryan Glasspiegel, Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini, Steven Ginsberg, Laura Hazard Owen, Casey Newton, Mark Sweney, and more.
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The Breaker Pod with Ken Auletta: Murdoch, Remnick, Weinstein, and Trump
(Exclusive.) Ken Auletta is still working the Murdoch beat — this time with a new doc called “The Murdoch Puzzle.”
The longtime New Yorker writer joined The Breaker Pod from the Smyth Tavern in Tribeca (cheers to owner John McDonald for inviting us down) to discuss his latest project in collaboration with “Where’s My Roy Cohn?” Director Matt Tyrnauer.
When we pressed him on what new Murdoch angles he was exploring for the documentary, Auletta offered some insight, but he also explained why we may never know what really happened as Rupert confirmed his succession plan with the family.
“They each signed …
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⁘ As credited in The New York Times, CNBC, Axios, The New York Post, CNN, Bloomberg, The Guardian, and more.
Will Power-less
(Exclusive.) It has been almost three months since Sir Will Lewis “was resigned” from The Washington Post.
Lewis's other key position over the last several years has been vice chair of the Associated Press, a role he has held since 2022. But when the Associated Press put out a press release last week announcing new directors joining the board, the wire service didn’t just bury the lede – they ignored it completely.
“Two new directors were appointed to the board,” the release stated, “They are: Lynn Beall, former TEGNA executive vice president and chief operating officer of media operations; and Iris Meijer, Verizon business chief product and marketing officer.” Breaker has learned Lewis quietly stepped down from the board two months ago.
“Will Lewis resigned from the AP board as he stepped away from the Washington Post,” an Associated Press spokesperson told Breaker.
But Breaker has also learned Lewis has been keeping himself busy since his defenestration (Ed note: can we come up with another word?).
Lewis has been consulting for Greek …
Support fearless independent journalism.
The rest of this newsletter is for paid subscribers.
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⁘ As credited in The New York Times, CNBC, Axios, The New York Post, CNN, Bloomberg, The Guardian, and more.