George S. May Business Blog

Wall Street Journal and New York Times go toe-to-toe

According to David Carr the Wall Street Journal is no longer an exemplary business broadsheet. The New York Times writer in his column today called the Journal an ordinary paper with a conservative slant.

Robert Thomson (not one to be bullied) fired back immediately stating that “principle is but a bystander at the New York Times. He then added to the mud-slinging fest by tossing out some “juicy” gossip:

“The attack follows the extraordinary actions of Mr Bill Keller, the Executive Editor, who, among other things, last year wrote personally and at length to a prize committee casting aspersions on Journal journalist and journalism.”

Hmmm…Could that “prize committee” possibly be none other than the Pulitzer committee? Did Keller really write to the Pulitzer committee and urge them not to give an award to the Journal? Thomson didn’t explain further.

But you didn’t expect Mr. Keller to just take the trash talking and not fire back did you?

Bill Keller spoke with the New York Observer on the issue:

 ”While David’s column clearly got under Mr. Thomson’s skin, I don’t see anything in this response that casts doubt upon it. The column was scrupulously fair and, if anything, understated.”

Related posts:

1. Wall Street Journal’s Boston Bureau to close for good Reporters at the Boston location of the Wall Street Journal recieved some very unfortunate news in an email today from their editor Robert Thompson: “Colleagues,...


2. Wall Street Journal overtakes USA Today as top-selling newspaper The Wall Street Journal has surpassed long –time leader USA Today as the top-selling daily newspaper in the United States. Because the Audit Bureau of...


3. Wall Street Journal calls the dismay between lawmakers, bankers and regular clients a “widening divide” A very interesting piece from the WSJ about the ever-increasing dysfunctional relationship between Wall Street and Main Street: While bank chief executives get to weigh...


4. Pay Czar Condemns Wall Street Pay Czar Kenneth Feinberg has a job that not many people would be likely to envy. His chief focus at the moment is trying to...


5. Wall Street Looking Over its CDOs All of a sudden, Wall Street is getting cautious again. Call me cynical, but now that Goldman Sachs, one of the larger and more well-known...