Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

An interesting op-ed piece by Norman Pearlstine in the Los Angeles Times talks about the failure of many newspapers and magazines to have a high standard of editorial independence. He even talks about the failure of the New York Times (NYT) to cover its parent company the New York Times Co. in any meaningful way.

Pearlstine is only able to name one executive, Jerry Levin, whom he considers truly to have been committed to editorially independence.

He goes on to mention the hypocrisy of the Bancroft family in relationship to the Wall Street Journal and the News Corp. (NWS-A) negotiations over editorial independence. He says, "... its moral position is undermined by the failure to demand rigorous coverage of its own company over the last 50 years." Pearlstine was managing editor of the Wall Street Journal from 1983 to 1991.

In a number of stinging rebukes to the overall industry, he comes to the conclusion that with the exception of Levin, Murdoch has no role models to look to that have truly supported editorial independence.

So that leads to the question of why Murdoch is being held to higher standards than the Bancrofts have been willing to institute themselves, and the overall industry as well.

More and more it's looking like it's because of his conservative leanings rather than any other bogus reason that's been proffered by his enemies.

The very ones attacking him aren't living by the standards that they're attempting to throw on Murdoch, including the Bancroft family that's acting like they've been living by them as well, when in reality they haven't.

The problem with the Bancrofts is they ran the company as absentee owners, not because they believed in editorial independence, but because they really didn't have much interest in the company. That's why there hasn't been a rigorous look at Dow Jones from within over the years. Yet they want Murdoch to have to start living in a way that they never did.

The truth is anyone that would buy the company would run it according to the way they run their existing media businesses. And according to Pearlstine, it's no different than Murdoch or anyone else is at the moment.

Related Coverage:

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New York Times Article says if Murdoch buys Wall Street Journal, Dark Day for American Democracy

What the Real Battle over Dow Jones is About

Rupert Murdoch Retains Power to Hire and Fire at Wall Street Journal

Dow Jones, News Corp. Come to Editorial Board Agreement

Dow Jones Deal Coming Closer to a Conclusion

Latest Plan by Bancrofts Shows Board may be Just Rubber Stamp for Them

Dow Jones Board Drafting "Editorial Independence" Statement - Will Murdoch Accept?

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