Editing The Wall Street Journal (section)

===News Corporation and News Corp===
On May 2, 2007, [[News Corporation]] made an unsolicited takeover bid for [[Dow Jones & Company|Dow Jones]], offering $60 per share for stock that had been selling for $36.33 per share.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mulligan |first1=Thomas S. |last2=Menn |first2=Joseph |title=Murdoch offers $5 billion for Wall St. Journal owner |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-02-fi-dowjones2-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=15 September 2024 |date=2 May 2007}}</ref> The [[Bancroft family]], which controlled more than 60% of the voting stock, at first rejected the offer, but later reconsidered its position.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ellison |first1=Sarah |title=War at the Wall Street Journal: Inside the Struggle To Control an American Business Empire |date=2010 |publisher=[[Mariner Books]] |location=Boston |isbn=9780547152431}}</ref>

Three months later, on August 1, 2007, News Corporation and Dow Jones entered into a definitive merger agreement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6923474.stm|title=Murdoch wins Control of Dow Jones|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=August 1, 2007|access-date=August 1, 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805015221/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6923474.stm|archive-date=August 5, 2007}}</ref> The $5{{nbsp}}billion sale added ''The Wall Street Journal'' to [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s news empire, which already included [[Fox News Channel]], [[Fox Business Network]], London's ''[[The Times]]'', the ''[[New York Post]]'', and the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] [[flagship station]] [[WNYW]] (Channel 5) and [[MyNetworkTV]] flagship [[WWOR-TV|WWOR]] (Channel 9).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna20032918|title=Murdoch clinches deal for publisher of Journal|publisher=[[NBC News]]|date=August 1, 2007|access-date=August 9, 2007|archive-date=October 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023174208/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20032918/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On December 13, 2007, shareholders representing more than 60 percent of Dow Jones's voting stock approved the company's acquisition by News Corporation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2007/12/13/News-Corp-Dow-Jones-Deal-Done |title=News Corp Dow Jones Deal Done |publisher=Portfolio.com |date=September 11, 2008 |access-date=June 5, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511054943/http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2007/12/13/News-Corp-Dow-Jones-Deal-Done |archive-date=May 11, 2011 }}</ref>

In an editorial page column, publisher [[L.&nbsp;Gordon Crovitz]] said the Bancrofts and News Corporation had agreed that the ''Journal''{{'}}s news and opinion sections would preserve their editorial independence from their new corporate parent.<ref name="Crovitz">[[L.&nbsp;Gordon Crovitz]], "A Report to Our Readers". ''The Wall Street Journal'' (New York), page A14, August 1, 2007.</ref>

A special committee was established to oversee the paper's editorial integrity. When the managing editor [[Marcus Brauchli]] resigned on April 22, 2008, the committee said that News Corporation had violated its agreement by not notifying the committee earlier. However, Brauchli said he believed that new owners should appoint their own editor.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120949530982953531.html |title=WSJ Editor's Resignation Is Criticized By Committee |first=Steve |last=Stecklow |date=April 30, 2008 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=September 27, 2008|url-access=subscription |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502202549/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120949530982953531.html |archive-date=May 2, 2008|page=B1}}</ref>

A 2007 ''Journal'' article quoted charges that Murdoch had made and broken similar promises in the past. One large shareholder commented that Murdoch has long "expressed his personal, political and [[business]] biases through his newspapers and television stations". Former ''Times'' assistant editor [[Fred Emery (journalist)|Fred Emery]] remembers an incident when "Mr. Murdoch called him into his office in March 1982 and said he was considering firing ''Times'' editor [[Harold Evans]]. Mr. Emery says he reminded Mr. Murdoch of his promise that editors couldn't be fired without the independent directors' approval. 'God, you don't take all that seriously, do you?' Mr. Murdoch answered, according to Mr. Emery." Murdoch eventually forced out Evans.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Steve|last1=Stecklow|first2=Aaron O.|last2=Patrick|first3=Martin|last3=Peers|first4=Andrew|last4=Higgins|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118100557923424501.html|title=In Murdoch's Career, A Hand on the News|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=June 5, 2007|page=A1|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071213115324/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118100557923424501.html|archive-date=December 13, 2007|access-date=September 23, 2024|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In 2011, ''[[The Guardian]]'' found evidence that the ''Journal'' had artificially inflated its European sales numbers, by paying Executive Learning Partnership for purchasing 16% of European sales. These inflated sales numbers then enabled the ''Journal'' to charge similarly inflated advertising rates, as the advertisers would think that they reached more readers than they actually did. In addition, the ''Journal'' agreed to run "articles" featuring Executive Learning Partnership, presented as news, but effectively advertising.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/oct/12/wall-street-journal-andrew-langhoff|title=Wall Street Journal circulation scam claims senior Murdoch executive|date=October 12, 2011|access-date=October 13, 2011|location=London|work=[[The Guardian]]|first=Nick|last=Davies|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019182535/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/12/wall-street-journal-andrew-langhoff|archive-date=October 19, 2011}}</ref> The case came to light after a Belgian ''Wall Street Journal'' employee, [[Gert Van Mol]], informed Dow Jones CEO [[Les Hinton]] about the questionable practice.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/news-corp-wall-street-journal-phone-hacking-250764|title=News Corp Ignored Wall Street Journal Circulation Inflation (Report)|date=October 12, 2011|access-date=October 13, 2011|location=US|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|author=<!--Not stated.-->|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411230654/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/news-corp-wall-street-journal-phone-hacking-250764|archive-date=April 11, 2012}}</ref> As a result, the then ''Wall Street Journal Europe'' CEO and Publisher Andrew Langhoff was fired after it was found out he personally pressured journalists into covering one of the newspaper's business partners involved in the issue.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/149205/wall-street-journal-europe-publisher-resigns-after-deal-suggested-outside-influence-over-editorial-content/|title=WSJ Europe publisher resigns after reports he 'personally pressured' journalists into covering paper's business partner|date=October 13, 2011|access-date=October 13, 2011|location=US|publisher=[[Poynter Institute]]|first=Steve|last=Meyers|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114094516/http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/149205/wall-street-journal-europe-publisher-resigns-after-deal-suggested-outside-influence-over-editorial-content/|archive-date=November 14, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203499704576625162816696954.html|title=Publisher of WSJ Europe Resigns After Ethics Inquiry|date=October 12, 2011|access-date=September 23, 2024|work=The Wall Street Journal|first=Paul|last=Sonne|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013062055/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203499704576625162816696954.html|archive-date=October 13, 2011}}</ref> Since September 2011, all the online articles that resulted from the ethical wrongdoing carry a ''Wall Street Journal'' disclaimer informing the readers about the circumstances in which they were created.

The ''Journal'', along with its parent Dow Jones & Company, was among the businesses News Corporation spun off in 2013 as the new [[News Corp]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=June 18, 2013 |title=The New News Corp Launches as Global Media and Information Services Company |url=https://newscorp.com/2013/06/28/the-new-news-corp-launches-as-global-media-and-information-services-company/ |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=News Corp |language=en-US |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421015745/https://newscorp.com/2013/06/28/the-new-news-corp-launches-as-global-media-and-information-services-company/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2016, in an effort to cut costs, the ''Journal''{{'s}} editor-in-chief, [[Gerard Baker]], announced layoffs of staff and consolidation of its print sections. The new "Business & Finance" section combined the former "Business & Tech" and "Money & Investing" sections. The new "Life & Arts" section took the place of "Personal Journal" and "Arena". In addition, the ''Journal''{{'s}} "Greater New York" coverage was reduced and moved to the main section of paper.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://fortune.com/2016/11/02/wall-street-journal-layoffs-cuts-sections/|title=Wall Street Journal Begins Layoffs, Cuts Sections|date=November 2, 2016|access-date=November 2, 2016|location=New York|work=[[Forbes]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104012400/http://fortune.com/2016/11/02/wall-street-journal-layoffs-cuts-sections/|archive-date=November 4, 2016}}</ref> The section was shuttered on July 9, 2021.<ref name="nyt-greater-ny">{{cite news |last1=Robertson |first1=Katie |title=The Wall Street Journal will close its Greater New York section. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/business/wsj-greater-new-york-section.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/business/wsj-greater-new-york-section.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited |access-date=July 29, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 17, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

A 2018 survey conducted by [[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] and the [[Knight Foundation]] found that ''The Wall Street Journal'' was considered the third most-accurate and fourth most-unbiased news organization among the general public, tenth among [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]], and second among [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]].<ref>{{Cite web |author1=[[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] |author2=[[Knight Foundation]] |date=June 20, 2018 |title=Perceived accuracy and bias in the news media |url=https://knightfoundation.org/reports/perceived-accuracy-and-bias-in-the-news-media/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123044852/https://knightfoundation.org/reports/perceived-accuracy-and-bias-in-the-news-media/ |archive-date=November 23, 2021 |access-date=November 23, 2021}}</ref> In an October 2018 [[Simmons Research]] survey of 38 news organizations, ''The Wall Street Journal'' was ranked the most trusted news organization by Americans. [[Joshua Benton]] of the [[Nieman Journalism Lab]] at [[Harvard University]] wrote that the paper's "combination of respected news pages and conservative editorial pages seem to be a magic formula for generating trust across the ideological spectrum."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Benton |first=Joshua |author-link=Joshua Benton |date=October 5, 2018 |title=Here's how much Americans trust 38 major news organizations (hint: not all that much!) |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/10/heres-how-much-americans-trust-38-major-news-organizations-hint-not-all-that-much/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208001945/https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/10/heres-how-much-americans-trust-38-major-news-organizations-hint-not-all-that-much/ |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |access-date=July 24, 2022 |website=[[Nieman Lab]]}}</ref>

From 2019 through 2022, the ''Journal'' partnered with [[Facebook]] to provide content for the social-media site's "News Tab". Facebook paid the ''Journal'' in excess of $10 million during that period, terminating the relationship as part of a broader shift away from news content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fischer |first=Sara |date=July 28, 2022 |title=Meta officially cuts funding for U.S. news publishers |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/28/meta-publishers-news-funding-cut |access-date=August 4, 2022 |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |language=en |archive-date=August 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803235841/https://www.axios.com/2022/07/28/meta-publishers-news-funding-cut |url-status=live }}</ref>

On June 13, 2022, the ''Journal'' launched a [[Review site|product review website]] called ''Buy Side''.<ref name="axios220622">{{cite web |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/06/11/wsj-new-commerce-site-buy-side |title=Exclusive: WSJ debuts new commerce site "Buy Side" |last=Fischer |first=Sara |date=June 11, 2022 |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |access-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629155321/https://www.axios.com/2022/06/11/wsj-new-commerce-site-buy-side |url-status=live }}</ref> The website remains free and has a distinct team from the ''Journal'' newsroom.<ref name="axios220622" />

In February 2024, the ''Journal'' laid off about 20 employees, primarily economics reporters based in [[Washington, D.C.]] Moving forward, those beats will be covered by the newspaper's New York-based business team.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sommer |first=Will |date=February 2, 2024 |title=Wall Street Journal shakes up D.C. bureau with big layoffs |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/02/01/wall-street-journal-shakes-up-dc-bureau-with-big-layoffs/ |access-date=February 2, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202194847/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/02/01/wall-street-journal-shakes-up-dc-bureau-with-big-layoffs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The next month the paper laid off another five people from its standards and ethics team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roush |first=Chris |date=March 18, 2024 |title=WSJ lays off five on standards and ethics team |url=https://talkingbiznews.com/media-news/wsj-lays-off-five-on-standards-and-ethics-team/ |access-date=March 19, 2024 |website=Talking Biz News |language=en-US |archive-date=March 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318234147/https://talkingbiznews.com/media-news/wsj-lays-off-five-on-standards-and-ethics-team/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In April, the paper laid off at least 11 people from its video and social media desks.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bolies |first=Corbin |date=2024-04-10 |title=Wall Street Journal Has Yet Another Round of Layoffs |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/wall-street-journal-lays-off-staff-on-video-and-social-desks |access-date=2024-04-21 |work=The Daily Beast |language=en |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421015741/https://www.thedailybeast.com/wall-street-journal-lays-off-staff-on-video-and-social-desks |url-status=live }}</ref> In May, the ''Journal'' cut six editorial staff positions from its [[Hong Kong]] bureau and another two reporter jobs in [[Singapore]]. Moving forward the paper will shift its focus in the region from Hong Kong to Singapore with new the creation of several new jobs at that bureau.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hale |first=Erin |date=May 3, 2024 |title=Wall Street Journal cuts Hong Kong staff, shifts focus to Singapore |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/5/3/wall-street-journal-cuts-hong-kong-staff-shifts-focus-to-singapore |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=May 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505013034/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/5/3/wall-street-journal-cuts-hong-kong-staff-shifts-focus-to-singapore |url-status=live }}</ref> More staff were laid off a few weeks later amid further restructuring, including at least eight reporters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Folkenflik |first=David |date=May 30, 2024 |title='Wall Street Journal' layoffs continue, despite lucrative AI deal and record profits |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/05/30/nx-s1-4986419/wall-street-journal-layoffs |access-date=June 1, 2024 |website=NPR |archive-date=May 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531145427/https://www.npr.org/2024/05/30/nx-s1-4986419/wall-street-journal-layoffs |url-status=live }}</ref>