The Journal, a New York-based institution more than a century old, remains one of the nation’s most-read newspapers, with the power to move markets and shape political agendas. Like the Financial Times in London, it’s long been the must-read for the business and financial class – with a business-friendly conservative editorial page to match – known for its deeply-reported stories and calm design.
Dozens of reporters, editors, and copy staff have left the paper in the past year, an exodus attributable to a combination of buyout incentives, poaching and frustration with management at the title which Rupert Murdoch added to his media empire a decade ago.
The talented staff that remain still produce memorable journalism. But when it comes to covering Trump – according to interviews with 18 current and former Journal staffers, some of whom have provided the Guardian with previously unpublished emails from Baker (Wall Street Journal’s editor-in-chief Gerry Baker ) – many say this is no thanks to management.
“The Journal has done a lot of good work in covering the Trump administration, but not nearly as much as it should have,” another recent departee said. “I lay almost all of that at Gerry’s doorstep. Political editors and reporters find themselves either directly stymied by Gerry’s interference or shave the edges off their stories in advance to try to please him (and, by extension, Murdoch).”
Meanwhile longtime observers like Sarah Ellison, a former Journal reporter and author of the book War at the Wall Street Journal about Murdoch’s takeover of the paper, is not entirely surprised to see what has happened to Murdoch’s paper under Trump.
“This is the most access he has had to a sitting president ever – that is something he’s tried to do and has done in other countries particularly with British prime ministers,” Ellison said. “He’s choosing his own personal access over having any journalistic clout.”
For most of my career (?) as a blogger I have avoided paying for subscriptions, because to be frank I really cannot afford to pay money to every news outlet I enjoy on the internet.
However after Trump was elected I realized just how important it was to really start to financially support the news media in this country.
So I purchased two subscriptions, one to the Washington Post and one to the New York Times.
And clearly that is money well spent because they have been at the forefront of some of the best reporting to be found on the Russia investigations, the White House drama, and the Donald Trump's insane presidency.
I also contribute in other ways by clicking ads on sites I visit frequently, watching cable news (Including the commercials.), and sending all of you to less well known news outlets which I think are deserving of our attention.
However I will not, EVER, support any news outlet like Fox News, Breitbart, and now the Wall Street Journal, which attempts to either support or give a free pass to Donald Trump.
We are in a war, and these should be identified as the propaganda outlets for the enemy.
