Paul Steiger, editor at large of the Wall Street Journal, interviewed himself about Rupert Murdoch's takeover of Dow Jones while delivering the keynote speech at the Asian American Journalists Association convention in Miami.
“Question: How do I feel about the Murdoch takeover?” he asked himself. Conflicted but hopeful, he answered.
“There is no question Rupert will be the boss,” Mr. Steiger said. He said he was well aware that Mr. Murdoch has used his media holdings in the past to further his business interests, and that he could repeat such a pattern in the future.
“Any hint of that at The Wall Street Journal would destroy its value,” Mr. Steiger said. “In the heat of some future moment, my colleagues may have to remind him of it.”
Mr. Steiger did not ask himself about the difficult position he found himself in before the bid was made public. Mr. Murdoch had told him about his offer but Mr. Steiger did not put the news in the paper, an omission that some Journal reporters criticized. He was also given the task of running the paper’s coverage of the deal, even as his name was being bandied about for a seat on the company’s board.