Murdoch's Journal Amps Up Politics, Speeds Up Stories

A month into the Rupert Murdoch era, the Wall Street Journal hasn't exactly turned into Fox News, but it has ratcheted up its political coverage, David Carr writes in the New York Times. The Journal's managing editor tells Carr the change is driven by both the drama of the presidential race and the Murdoch mandate to compete with the Times in general-interest news.

"We believe there is no reason that people should have to go to another news source beyond the Journal to find news of consequence to them in any sphere," he said.
Story leads have become snappier and more direct, and sports coverage and a luxury magazine are in the works. “There are some inchoate fears about where this ends up,” one editor admitted. “But in the short term, it’s exciting.” (More Rupert Murdoch stories.)