Rupert under fire

When Rupert Murdochs News Corporation took over the Wall Street Journal in 2007,he sought to calm worries that there would be any compromises at the major financial newspaper,saying things would pretty much run as before. News Corp,as its known,has developed a reputation for business practices that could be charitably called aggressive,given extra visibility by the recent phone-hacking scandal in the UK,which led to an interrogation of Murdoch by a committee of British MPs. That scandal was broken by old Murdoch rival

The Guardian,which has now revealed that the Wall Street Journal Europe is also skating close to the wind. According to the reports,now confirmed by a story in WSJ Europe,the newspaper took part in what could appear a scheme to boost its circulation by selling bulk copies to a consulting firm and simultaneously handing over money to the same firm for apparently unrelated services.

Worse,it appears its editorial division was apparently pressured into writing stories about the consulting firm aiding in the number-boosting; two of them appeared. Aside from the fact that this violates press ethics as generally understood,it corrodes the WSJs brand value; the reporting side of the paper was always seen as fiercely independent,adding to its lustre. Unsurprisingly,the senior executive who pushed for the articles has been asked to step down.

The WSJs many readers will hope this is an aberration,and that News Corp doesnt intend to change the structure of a newspaper many have come to admire. Its also a reflection of how one newspaper can hold another to account and,in the WSJs careful reporting of its own errors,how it can hold itself to account as well.