It would be one thing if this were a proposal or simple proof-of-concept. No. NewsCorp is basically forcing the city to build this tower in place of the old design.
Murdoch's son James, COO of 21st Cent. Fox, demanded a redesign of the tower to better suit his personal whim.
He claims the old design looks like it was suited for an investment banking firm, and said this redesign looks like it would house a media giant as "important to the world" as NewsCorp.
He pressured both the developer Larry Silverstein and the PAONYNJ that if they didn't go with the provided redesign, they'd back out as the tower's anchor tenant.
Random Image:
Time lapse of solar eclipse observed from a commercial airline. From front page of reddit today.