Jane, you ignorant slut

BusinessWeek has a nice debate on its web site between Los Angeles bureau chief Ron Grover and deputy news director of BusinessWeek.com Justin Bachman weighing the pros and cons of the News Corp. offer to buy Dow Jones & Co., the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and Marketwatch.

Grover argues in favor of the deal, while Bachman argues against.

Grover said, “So [it] wasn’t hard to take Rupert at his word when he told Fox News that the Journal ‘is the greatest newspaper in America, one of the greatest in the world’ and that ‘it has great journalists, which deserve, I think, a much wider audience.’ That doesn’t sound like a guy who intends to rip through the newsroom or massively change its editorial direction. The Journal likely will continue to offer unbiased news accounts and smart analysis, and strive to beat its competition—all of the things Murdoch no doubt admires about ‘the greatest newspaper in America.'”

Lachman said, “In one swoop, Murdoch would acquire the keys to making this fledgling channel a success. Journal reporters would become ‘talent’ to be trotted out for the cameras. He could use MySpace to draw a younger demographic to the Journal’s new lifestyle and consumer offerings. Fox News could cross-promote and share studio space. Journal scribes could even start their own pages. The synergy orgy would be awesomely tacky.”

Read more here.