Editing The Wall Street Journal (section)

===20th century===
In the months before his death in 1902, Dow arranged to sell Dow Jones and the ''Journal'' to [[Clarence W. Barron]], the [[Boston]] correspondent for the ''Journal'' since 1889, for $130,000 ({{Inflation|US|130000|1902|fmt=eq}}).{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/8/mode/2up?q=%22in+1902+at%22 9]-[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/10/mode/2up?q=%22clarence+walker+barron%22 10]}} Because Barron had financial difficulties, his wife Jessie Waldron Barron made the $2,500 down payment to buy Dow Jones in 1902; Clarence would first own a Dow Jones share about ten years later.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/14/mode/2up?q=%22jessie+waldron%22 14]}}

Under Barron's ownership, [[Thomas F. Woodlock]] was editor of the ''Journal'' from 1902 to 1905.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn88086144/1903-10-22/ed-1/seq-12/|title=News of the Week|work=The Nebraska Independent|place=Lincoln|page=12|date=October 22, 1903|access-date=September 21, 2024|via=University of Nebraska–Lincoln}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://archives.nd.edu/Scholastic/VOL_0078/VOL_0078_ISSUE_0009.pdf|title=Thomas F. Woodlock, Editor "Wall Street Journal" is 61st Laetare Medalist|work=The Notre Dame Scholastic|page=10|date=April 9, 1943|volume=78|issue=9|access-date=September 21, 2024}}</ref> By the end of Woodlock's tenure, daily circulation for the ''Journal'' rose from 7,000 to 11,000.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/14/mode/2up?q=%22an+estimated+11%2C000%22 15]}} [[William Peter Hamilton]] became lead editorial writer in 1908, a time when the ''Journal'' began reflecting the views of Barron. Hamilton wrote what Scharff considered "daily sermons in support of free-market capitalism".{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/16/mode/2up?q=%22daily+sermons%22 16]}}

Barron and his predecessors were credited with creating an atmosphere of fearless, independent financial reporting—a novelty in the early days of [[business journalism]]. In 1921, ''[[Barron's (newspaper)|Barron's]]'', the United States's premier financial weekly, was founded.<ref name="Crossen">{{cite news|last=Crossen|first=Cynthia|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118591182345183718|title=It All Began in the Basement of a Candy Store|date=August 1, 2007|website=The Wall Street Journal|page=B1|access-date=July 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215123521/https://online.wsj.com/article/SB118591182345183718.html|archive-date=December 15, 2007|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Scharff described the newspaper in the Barron era as "Wall Street's public defender" against regulatory efforts by the U.S. Congress.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/26/mode/2up?q=%22Wall+street%27s+public+defender%22 27]}} Circulation continued to rise, reaching 18,750 to 1920 and 52,000 briefly in 1928.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/14/mode/2up?q=%22an+estimated+11%2C000%22 15]}} Barron died in 1928, a year before [[Wall Street Crash of 1929|Black Tuesday]], the stock market crash that greatly affected the [[Great Depression in the United States]]. Barron's descendants, the [[Bancroft family]], would continue to control the company until 2007.<ref name="Crossen"/>

The [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] would be yet another challenge to the ''Journal'' on top of Barron's death. William Peter Hamilton died of pneumonia on December 9, 1929, aged 63.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/34/mode/2up?q=%22pacific+coast+edition%22 34]}} Circulation of the ''Journal'', having surpassed 50,000 in 1928, dropped below 28,000 in the 1930s, and the newspaper downsized from 28 to 16 pages in the 1930s as well.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/36/mode/2up?q=%22number+of+pages+would+also+fall%22 36]}} Dow Jones president [[Hugh Bancroft (attorney)|Hugh Bancroft]] retired in 1932; following his death in 1933, his widow Jane Waldron Bancroft appointed Kenneth Craven "Casey" Hogate as new company president.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/42/mode/2up?q=%22met+with+casey+hogate%22 43]}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ijhf.org/members/1976/kenneth-craven-hogate|title=Kenneth Craven Hogate|publisher=Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame|access-date=September 21, 2024}}</ref> Hogate envisioned expanding the scope of the ''Journal'' to a "more general business paper" beyond stock and bond numbers.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/50/mode/2up?q=%22more+general+business+paper%22 50]}}

Expanding westward, ''The Wall Street Journal'' debuted a West Coast edition on October 21, 1929, ''The Wall Street Journal Pacific Coast Edition''. The ''Pacific Coast Edition'' focused on California businesses and replicated some items from the regular ''Wall Street Journal''; however, its circulation never exceeded 3,000, and the Great Depression led numerous subscription cancellations.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/34/mode/2up?q=%22pacific+coast+edition%22 34], [https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/50/mode/2up?q=%22pacific+coast+edition%22 50]}}

By 1931, [[Bernard Kilgore]] became news editor for ''The Wall Street Journal'', having joined the ''Journal'' copy desk in 1929. He began writing a column for the ''Pacific Coast Edition'' called "Dear George", a feature explaining obscure financial topics in simpler, plain rhetoric. "Dear George" sharply contrasted with other ''Wall Street Journal'' articles that relied on jargon that was incomprehensible even to its own reporters. The Eastern edition of the ''Journal'' began carrying "Dear George", and beginning in 1932, Kilgore wrote "Dear George" three times a week from New York for the ''Journal''.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/50/mode/2up?q=%22bombay+straddle%22 51]-[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/52/mode/2up?q=%22Dear+george%22 52]}} Then in 1934, Kilgore began writing a daily news digest "What's News" for the ''Journal'' front page.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/52/mode/2up?q=%22the+major+stories+of+the+day%22 53]}} Kilgore's writings attracted the attention of the White House; President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] publicly recommended Kilgore's work about pension payments for World War I veterans and a Supreme Court decision on the [[National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933]].{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/52/mode/2up?q=%22read+kilgore%22 53]}} However, the ''Journal'' continued to struggle financially, with circulation stagnant at 32,000 in 1940. Most editions were only 12 to 14 pages long, and Dow Jones made only $69,000 of profits on $2 million of revenue, mostly due to its news ticker. Scharff observed a lack of coverage about a possible U.S. role in [[World War II]].{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/60/mode/2up?q=%22attention+was+riveted+on+europe%22 60]}}

In the 1940s, Dow Jones took steps to restructure the ''Journal''. Kilgore was named managing editor of the ''Journal'' in 1941 and Dow Jones CEO in 1945.<ref name="Crossen"/> Scharff described Kilgore's approach to journalism: "A ''Journal'' story had to satisfy its sophisticated readership, but it also had to be clear enough not to discourage neophytes."{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/62/mode/2up?q=%22satisfy+its+sophisticated%22 63]-[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/64/mode/2up?q=%22never+displace+the+hometown%22 64]}} Additionally, Kilgore aimed to have the newspaper appeal to a national audience, by making the East Coast and West Coast editions of the ''Journal'' more homogeneous.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/62/mode/2up?q=%22satisfy+its+sophisticated%22 63]-[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/64/mode/2up?q=%22never+displace+the+hometown%22 64]}} Until printing presses and reporting bureaus could be opened on location, photographs could not be included in the ''Journal''.<ref name="Crossen"/>

In [[1947 Pulitzer Prize|1947]], the paper won its first [[Pulitzer Prize]] for William Henry Grimes's [[Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing|editorials]].<ref name="Crossen"/> Also in May 1947, the ''Journal'' launched a Southwest edition based in [[Dallas]].{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/102/mode/2up?q=dallas 103]-[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/102/mode/2up?q=dallas 105]}} The newspaper also added a new slogan in 1949: "Everywhere, Men Who Get Ahead in Business Read ''The Wall Street Journal''."{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/102/mode/2up?q=dallas 103]-[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/102/mode/2up?q=dallas 105]}} Circulation grew by nearly four-fold, from 32,000 in 1940 to 140,000 in 1949; however, Kilgore's editorial reforms of the ''Journal'' had not yet entered popular understanding.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/60/mode/2up?q=%22attention+was+riveted+on+europe%22 60], [https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/104/mode/2up?q=%22over+140%2C000%22 104]}}

The first major journalism award for the ''Journal'' was a [[Society of Professional Journalists|Sigma Delta Chi]] public service award, for stories in late 1952 exposing links between Empire Mail Order and organized crime. These stories followed news that [[Howard Hughes]] sold [[RKO Pictures]] to Empire Mail Order.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/120/mode/2up?q=%22howard+hughes%22 121]-[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/122/mode/2up?q=rko 122]}} Circulation of the ''Journal'' continued increasing throughout the 1950s, to 205,000 in 1951, 400,000 in 1955, and over 500,000 by 1957.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|p=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/154/mode/2up?q=%22half+million+mark%22 154]}}

[[Warren H. Phillips]] became managing editor of ''The Wall Street Journal'' in 1957 after being promoted from Chicago bureau manager. Phillips was Jewish, in contrast to the largely midwestern, [[WASP]] management of the ''Journal'' at the time. Phillips, a former socialist, shifted his political views in the 1950s to reflect social liberalism and fiscal conservatism.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/166/mode/2up?q=%22warren+phillips+became%22 167]-[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/168/mode/2up?q=%22tragicomic+spectacle%22 169]}} Under Phillips, the ''Journal'' provided in-depth coverage of the [[civil rights movement]], on the grounds that it "was something that the average businessman needed to know about".{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/166/mode/2up?q=%22warren+phillips+became%22 167]-[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/168/mode/2up?q=%22tragicomic+spectacle%22 169]}} For instance, ''Journal'' coverage of the [[Little Rock Nine|Little Rock Central High School integration crisis]] went beyond the largely visual, emotional elements on newspapers and television, in depicting local citizens as supportive of integration in contrast to Governor [[Orval Faubus]] and other local politicians.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/170/mode/2up?q=%22governor+faubus+himself%22 170-171]}}

During the [[1962–1963 New York City newspaper strike]], the ''Journal'' was the only daily newspaper to continue printing in New York City; however, after the strike, Kilgore ordered the printing presses moved from New York to [[Chicopee, Massachusetts]] effective July 1, 1963. Although Kilgore did not publicly explain his rationale then, Scharff wrote in 1986 that the move resulted from feuds between Dow Jones and the printer's union.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/118/mode/2up?q=chicopee 118-119]}}

By Kilgore's death in 1967, ''Wall Street Journal'' circulation exceeded one million.<ref name="Crossen"/> In 1967, Dow Jones Newswires began a major expansion outside of the United States ultimately placing its journalists in every major financial center in [[Europe]], [[Asia]], [[Latin America]], [[Australia]], and [[Africa]]. In 1970, Dow Jones bought the Ottaway newspaper chain, which at the time comprised nine dailies and three Sunday newspapers. Later, the name was changed to [[Local Media Group|Dow Jones Local Media Group]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dowjoneslmg.com/|title=Dow Jones Local Media Group, Inc.|publisher=Local Media Group|access-date=July 25, 2013|archive-date=April 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412031909/https://www.dowjoneslmg.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The first strike affecting a ''Journal'' printing plant was a three-day strike at [[Silver Spring, Maryland]], in 1967; that would be followed by a weeklong strike by truck drivers at the [[South Brunswick, New Jersey]], in 1970.{{sfn|Scharff|1986|pp=[https://archive.org/details/worldlypowermaki0000scha/page/118/mode/2up?q=chicopee 118-119]}}

[[File:President Reagan's Interview with the Wall Street Journal in the Oval Office on February 7, 1985.webm|thumb|upright=1|Video of U.S. President [[Ronald Reagan]] interviewed by ''WSJ'' in the [[Oval Office]] in February 1985]]

The period from 1971 to 1997 brought about a series of launches, acquisitions, and joint ventures, including "[[Factiva]]", ''[[The Wall Street Journal Asia]]'', ''[[The Wall Street Journal Europe]]'', the WSJ.com website, Dow Jones Indexes, [[MarketWatch]], and "WSJ Weekend Edition". In 2007, [[News Corporation|News Corp.]] acquired Dow Jones.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pérez-Peña |first1=Richard |author1-link=Richard Pérez-Peña |title=News Corp. Completes Takeover of Dow Jones |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/business/media/14dow.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=14 September 2024 |date=14 December 2007}}</ref> ''[[WSJ.]]'', a luxury lifestyle magazine, was launched in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|last=Edgecliffe-Johnson|first=Andrew|url=http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/superpage.ft?news_id=fto090320082104328499|title=WSJ magazine targets upscale market|date=September 3, 2008|work=[[Financial Times]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929154941/http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/superpage.ft?news_id=fto090320082104328499|archive-date=September 29, 2011}}</ref>

A complement to the print newspaper, ''The Wall Street Journal Online'', was launched in 1996 and has allowed access only by subscription from the beginning.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stulberg |first=Ariel |title=Testing news paywalls: Which are leaky, and which are airtight? |url=https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/news-paywalls-new-york-times-wall-street-journal.php |work=Columbia Journalism Review |date=May 23, 2017 |access-date=November 26, 2017 |archive-date=May 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525152518/https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/news-paywalls-new-york-times-wall-street-journal.php |url-status=live }}</ref> A weekly (later daily) crossword edited by [[Mike Shenk]] was introduced in 1998.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://observer.com/2015/09/cruciverbalists-rejoice-the-wall-street-journal-adds-a-daily-crossword-puzzle/|title=Cruciverbalists Rejoice! The Wall Street Journal Adds a Daily Crossword Puzzle|last=Kassel|first=Matthew|date=September 14, 2015|website=[[The New York Observer|Observer]]|access-date=November 9, 2023|archive-date=November 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110062016/https://observer.com/2015/09/cruciverbalists-rejoice-the-wall-street-journal-adds-a-daily-crossword-puzzle/|url-status=live}}</ref>