Washington: As if the House of Windsor's internal dramas weren't enough, the tensions inside another globally powerful dynasty have now burst into public view.

As the son of the world's most powerful media mogul, James Murdoch is aware that even the mildest criticism of his family's media empire is guaranteed to generate headlines.

James Murdoch: concerned about climate change and News Corp. Credit:AP

So James knew exactly what he was doing when he publicly attacked News Corporation's climate coverage at a time when the company's reporting is under intense scrutiny.

Last week, News Corp Australia commercial finance manager Emily Townsend told senior management she found it "unconscionable" to continue working for the company, given she believed it had misled readers about the cause of bushfires sweeping across Australia.