Keep Murdoch away from the Journal

News Corp. should not be allowed to purchase Dow Jones & Co., the parent of The Wall Street Journal, argues Jason Salzman, the author of “Making the News: A Guide for Nonprofits and Activists,” and board chair of Rocky Mountain Media Watch, a Denver-based media watchdog organization.

Salzman wrote, “The Bancrofts have now met with Murdoch, who is reportedly trying to assure them that he will not gut the journalistic standards at the ‘Journal.’ But if you follow the newspaper industry, you know that such promises of quality maintenance are more often hollow than solid. New owners make frequent visits to newsrooms with assurances of no layoffs and journalistic integrity. Then the pink slips arrive and professional reporting standards start to head south.

“For this reason, it’s crucial that the Bancrofts not sell their company to Murdoch, no matter what he promises them. For the Bancrofts, who aren’t hurting for money, it’s time for civic responsibility to trump profit maximization. Their consciences have to overpower their wallet.

“I know, money usually wins, and some analysts are already fully confident that the Bancrofts will cave under the weight of a $5 billion check. But imagine if they held the line and decided to stand up for journalism. They’d instantly become civic heroes, defending a basic requirement of democracy. The ability of citizens to access reliable information.”

Read more here. Hurting Salzman’s argument is the fact that he states that Dow Jones owns Bloomberg News.