Changes at the WSJ under Murdoch

Tim Arango and Richard Perez-Pena of the New York Times examine News Corp. and its strategy under Rupert Murdoch to acquire newspapers, and how its ownership has affected The Wall Street Journal.

Arango and Perez-Pena write, “But some journalists also described a certain relief that the new regime has meant an end to the factionalism and politicking of Dow Jones’s last independent years. Reporters and editors also say that Mr. Murdoch and his crew have loosened what was once an exceedingly careful culture, where multiple, lengthy memos were required to begin a reporting project, and an article went through several rounds of editing.

“‘There’s this kind of attitude that planning is overrated, and memos are for wimps,’ said one Journal reporter, who insisted on anonymity for fear of antagonizing his new bosses. ‘They aren’t as interested in the time-consuming, in-depth projects, either.’

“And while the new boss has been a frequent presence at The Journal, he will soon be able to keep an even closer eye on his new prize; the company plans to move The Journal from its financial district offices downtown, to the News Corporation’s Midtown headquarters.”

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