Murdoch will have to overcome newsroom culture

Seattle Times columnist Ryan Blethen writes Friday that the biggest hurdle for News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch to overcome if he acquires Dow Jones & Co. is combining the cultures of the two operations.

Blethen wrote, “It is a safe bet that Murdoch views the newspaper as a natural partner to a new Fox cable business channel he is launching to compete against CNBC.

“To do this, Murdoch will have to overcome serious differences in newsroom culture. The Journal is a respected institution that won two Pulitzer Prizes this year, one of which was for a series on working conditions in China, the other for its reporting on stock-option backdating.

“Murdoch’s News Corporation newspapers and cable news are notable for flamboyant headlines, and for talking heads such as Bill O’Reilly, who prefer volume to substance.

“The prospect of a News Corporation/Dow Jones marriage would be such a media dreadnought it should be enough to raise the government’s limp regulatory hackles. The Federal Communications Commission probably has no role in the deal, but should try to make noise, considering News Corporation already owns a New York paper, the New York Post, and a television station in the same market.”

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