Murdoch needs Harry Potter magic
The New York Times has shown admirable bravado in the face of news that Rupert Murdoch has acquired Dow Jones, which owns the Wall Street Journal. Quoting the secretive anonymous sources of which it seems so fond, it reports that the financial paper will broaden its coverage, aim at a wider audience, and compete with it (!) for advertising. It had this to say in a “news analysis” on 1 August 2007:
At its most ambitious, Mr. Murdoch’s vision for Dow Jones would establish The Journal as the rival to The Times in setting the daily news agenda of the country.
Now granted, the Gray Lady prides itself on its reputation as the paper of record. When its prodigious bulk lands in a Manhattan doorway, it does cause shockwaves in New Jersey and beyond. (Have you ever seen that thing? Here in South Africa, the meagre Saturday Star is a pamphlet by comparison, despite its formidable property section and undeniable intellectual heft.)
Today I realised just what an uphill battle Mr Murdoch and the editors of the Journal have on their hands. Here’s the news agenda the Times set in July, as judged by an e-mail that lists its most-read articles:
- An Epic Showdown as Harry Potter Is Initiated Into Adulthood
- Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less
- A $135 Million Home, but if You Have to Ask …
- In the ’60s, a Future Candidate Poured Her Heart Out in Letters
- A Hipper Crowd of Shushers
Lest you think that last story is just fluff, its blurb reads: “A new type of librarian is emerging: think Dewey Decimal meets Generation X.”
[Headline edited at 13:34 04/07/2007]
