In the annals of stories The Wall Street Journal would not have done, much less placed on A3, pre-Rupert Murdoch, here’s a prime example:
Bushes Buy Dallas Home for Residence
Really? Tell me more! Here’s the lede:
President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush said Thursday that they have bought a house in a wealthy enclave in Dallas and will return here once the president leaves office.
The paper spills 600 words on this story, which might be justifiably placed on A3 of the Dallas Morning News (or maybe its community-zone edition), but not of The Wall Street Journal.
There’s a near-catastrophic financial crisis going on, Rupert, and your paper is very often getting its rear end handed to it by folks like Bloomberg and the dreaded New York Times.
It’s a shame that these good reporters are doing stories like this instead of focusing on the financial crisis.
Ryan Chittum is a former Wall Street Journal reporter, and deputy editor of The Audit, CJR’s business section. If you see notable business journalism, give him a heads-up at rc2538@columbia.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @ryanchittum.