Let’s be real for a second. If you’ve ever walked past a newsstand in Manhattan and seen a headline so loud it practically screams at you, you’ve met the New York Post. It’s gritty. It’s often funny. Sometimes it’s downright infuriating depending on your politics. But have you ever stopped to think about who actually pulls the strings? The owner of the New York Post isn’t just some faceless corporation; it’s a name that has become synonymous with global media influence, political kingmaking, and a very specific brand of bare-knuckle journalism.
Rupert Murdoch.
That’s the name. You know it. Even if you don’t follow the stock market or media mergers, you know the name Murdoch. Through his massive company, News Corp, Murdoch has held the reins of the Post for decades, turning it from a struggling daily into a digital powerhouse that sets the agenda for the 24-hour news cycle. But the story isn’t just "billionaire buys paper." It’s much messier than that. It involves a 200-year-old legacy started by a Founding Father and a series of high-stakes financial maneuvers that almost saw the paper disappear entirely.
The Alexander Hamilton Connection (Wait, Really?)
Before we get into the Murdoch era, we have to talk about the origin. It’s kinda wild to think about, but the New York Post was actually founded by Alexander Hamilton back in 1801. Yeah, the guy on the ten-dollar bill. Back then, it was called the New-York Evening Post. Hamilton didn’t start it because he loved the smell of ink; he wanted a mouthpiece for the Federalist Party. He needed a way to fight back against Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans.
So, from day one, the paper had a political pulse. It wasn't meant to be "neutral." It was meant to be a weapon. Fast forward through the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the paper changed hands a bunch of times. It was actually a pretty liberal, high-brow publication for a long time under the ownership of Dorothy Schiff. She bought it in 1939 and ran it as a staunchly Democratic paper for nearly forty years.
Then came 1976. That’s when everything changed.
How Rupert Murdoch Became the Owner of the New York Post
Murdoch didn't just stumble into the New York media scene. He crashed into it. In 1976, he bought the Post from Schiff for about $30 million. People in the New York establishment were horrified. They saw Murdoch as this "tabloid king" from Australia and the UK who was going to ruin the "prestige" of the city's oldest daily.
And, well, he definitely changed it.
🔗 Read more: Stock Market Today Hours: Why Timing Your Trade Is Harder Than You Think
He brought in the "Wingo" games, the sensationalist headlines—like the legendary "Headless Body in Topless Bar"—and a populist, right-leaning editorial stance. He understood something that the elite media didn't: people love a spectacle. He made the paper essential reading, not just for the news, but for the gossip and the sheer attitude of it.
The Forced Sale and the 1993 Return
There’s a weird glitch in the timeline, though. Murdoch hasn’t actually owned the paper continuously since '76. Because of federal cross-ownership rules (basically, the government didn't want one guy owning a major newspaper and a TV station in the same city), Murdoch was forced to sell the Post in 1988 when he bought the local Channel 5 (WNYW).
The paper almost died.
It went through a few years of absolute chaos under owners like Peter Kalikow and the infamous Steven Hoffenberg. At one point, a guy named Abe Hirschfeld briefly took control, leading to one of the most famous moments in journalism history: the staff of the Post actually published an issue dedicated entirely to attacking their own boss. It was pure theater.
By 1993, the paper was facing bankruptcy. The FCC eventually granted Murdoch a "permanent waiver" to buy the paper back, arguing that he was the only person with the deep pockets and the will to keep it alive. Since then, the owner of the New York Post has been News Corp, with the Murdoch family firmly at the helm.
News Corp: The Corporate Engine
Today, when we talk about the owner of the New York Post, we are technically talking about News Corp (NWSA). This is a publicly traded company, but the Murdoch Family Trust holds the voting power.
News Corp isn't just the Post. It’s a global beast. We’re talking about:
💡 You might also like: Kimberly Clark Stock Dividend: What Most People Get Wrong
- The Wall Street Journal (via Dow Jones & Company)
- The Times and The Sun in the UK
- Major Australian newspapers like The Australian
- HarperCollins, the massive book publishing house
- REA Group (a giant in digital real estate)
It’s important to distinguish News Corp from Fox Corporation. In 2013, Murdoch split his empire into two. Fox got the "fun" stuff like the movie studio (which was later sold to Disney) and Fox News. News Corp kept the "print" stuff—the newspapers and publishing. So, while they share a lineage and a chairman, the New York Post and Fox News are technically separate corporate entities. They just happen to share a very similar editorial DNA.
The Succession Crisis: Who is Running Things Now?
If you’ve watched the show Succession, you’ve seen a dramatized version of the Murdoch family dynamics. In real life, it’s just as complicated.
For years, people wondered who would take over from Rupert. In late 2023, the 92-year-old Murdoch finally announced he was stepping down as Chairman of both Fox and News Corp. He took on the title of "Chairman Emeritus."
The person who officially took the lead? His son, Lachlan Murdoch.
Lachlan is now the guy. He’s the Chairman of News Corp. He is, for all intents and purposes, the modern owner of the New York Post. Lachlan is often described as being more ideologically aligned with his father than his brother James, who famously left the family business over "disagreements" regarding editorial content and climate change coverage.
Why the Ownership Matters So Much
You might ask: why does it matter who owns a newspaper in 2026? Most people get their news from TikTok or X (formerly Twitter), right?
Well, the Post is different. It’s a "source" paper. Other outlets—from CNN to the New York Times—often end up following stories that the Post breaks. Think about the Hunter Biden laptop story. Love it or hate it, the Post broke that story, and the ownership’s willingness to push it, even when social media companies were suppressing it, changed the course of a national conversation.
📖 Related: Online Associate's Degree in Business: What Most People Get Wrong
The owner of the New York Post has a level of "earned" audacity. They aren't afraid to be the pariah of the media world. This stems directly from Rupert Murdoch’s lifelong disdain for the "establishment." Even as a billionaire, he always positioned himself as the outsider, the guy willing to say the things that the "fancy" people at the Times wouldn't say.
Misconceptions About the Post's Finances
A lot of people think the Post is a massive cash cow. Honestly? For a long time, it wasn't. For decades, it was widely reported that the Post lost money—sometimes tens of millions of dollars a year. Murdoch kept it afloat because of the influence it gave him. It was a "vanity project" that happened to be a world-class news organization.
However, things have shifted lately. Under the leadership of CEO Robert Thomson and the digital-first strategy pushed by the Murdochs, the Post has actually started to turn a profit. They’ve leaned heavily into "Page Six" (the gold standard of celebrity gossip) and a massive digital advertising network. They’ve also built a huge audience in "flyover country"—people who don't live in New York but love the paper's take on national politics and culture.
What's Next for the New York Post?
The future of the Post is tied to the future of the Murdoch legacy. There is currently a legal battle brewing within the family trust. Rupert has been trying to ensure that Lachlan remains in control after he passes away, potentially to prevent his more "moderate" children from changing the editorial direction of outlets like the Post and Fox News.
This matters because the Post is one of the few remaining major conservative-leaning dailies in a city that is overwhelmingly liberal. If the ownership shifted to someone less "combative" than Lachlan, the entire voice of the paper would change. It would probably lose that "bite" that makes it the Post.
Actionable Insights for the News Consumer
Understanding the owner of the New York Post helps you read between the lines. Here is how you should approach it:
- Check the Byline vs. the Editorial Page: The Post actually has some fantastic investigative reporters. Don't dismiss a hard news story just because you dislike the editorial board’s opinion pieces.
- Follow the Money: Look at News Corp’s quarterly earnings reports. It’ll tell you more about the paper's health than any rumor mill. When they focus on "digital subscriptions," you know the paywall is going to get tighter.
- Watch the Succession Battle: The legal proceedings in Reno, Nevada, regarding the Murdoch trust will determine the tone of the Post for the next thirty years. It's the most important business story nobody is talking about.
- Recognize the "Tabloid" Style: Tabloids use "loaded language." If a headline uses words like "STUNNING," "CHAOS," or "SLAMMED," recognize that it's designed to trigger an emotional response. That’s the Murdoch playbook.
The New York Post isn't going anywhere. Whether it’s Alexander Hamilton in 1801 or Lachlan Murdoch in 2026, the paper has always been about power, personality, and pushing buttons. Knowing who owns it is the first step in understanding why it says what it says.
To stay truly informed, you should track the official News Corp investor relations page. It provides the most accurate data on the company's holdings and leadership changes without the filter of media commentary. Additionally, following the reporting of media critics like those at Poynter or Columbia Journalism Review can provide a balanced perspective on how the Post's ownership influences its daily output. Knowledge of the ownership structure is your best defense against being swayed by any single news outlet's agenda.