Reports of Eroding Editorial Standards at The Wall Street Journal

By REDPIXEL @Adobe Stock

Ryan Mills and Brittany Bernstein of the National Review report on ‘a slow-rolling nightmare’ and a revolt at The Wall Street Journal. They write: 

A dragged-out series of slashing job cuts at the Wall Street Journal paired with the new leader’s intense focus on growing online readership and charges of eroding editorial standards have led to mounting concerns among current and former newsroom staffers about the direction of one of the nation’s preeminent news organizations.

Eleven current and former newsroom veterans, who spoke to National Review on a condition of anonymity, said that Emma Tucker, the Journal’s new editor in chief, appears to lack a basic understanding of American government, politics, and culture. They say she seems to be prioritizing less serious lifestyle stories with snappy headlines over hard-hitting accountability journalism.

And they worry that several moves she has made — including cutting jobs from the team responsible for editing sensitive stories and weeding out any hints of bias, and hiring a Washington, D.C., bureau chief who just published a book highly critical of former president Donald Trump — could lead to readers losing confidence in a paper that has historically been unique for having high levels of trust from across the political spectrum. […]

For the first time since 2018, the Journal was not a Pulitzer Prize winner or finalist this year.

“People can’t be ambitious,” a former staffer said, “when they’re in a defensive crouch.”

Read more here.