Chalk up one more big step in the Foxification of America. Lured by the promise of big bucks, the Bancroft family has sold The Wall Street Journal to right-wing robber baron Rupert Murdoch. Which means there is one less place you can look for good, strong, objective reporting — and one less newspaper that publishes the truth.
Except for its Neanderthal editorial page, The Wall Street Journal is actually a damned good paper. One of the best. With top-notch reporters. Or was. But all that will change once Murdoch gets a hold on it. His goal is not just to make money — it’s to push his own right-wing political agenda.
Murdoch’s done that so far with The New York Post, The London Times, The Weekly Standard and Fox News, among other media outlets. And he’ll do the same thing with the Journal and the new Fox Business Channel. And that’s bad news for journalism, and bad news for the country.
In a democracy, the media are supposed to serve an important role as watchdog for the general public. Under Rupert Murdoch, the media’s being turned into a lapdog — for the Republican Party.