Stick to reporting: Wall Street Journal editor trashes staffs Trump article in leaked emails

[n2doc]

The Wall Street Journal’s top editor once again appears to be facing discord from within his newsroom over the newspaper’s coverage of President Trump.

Since the election, some journalists at the Wall Street Journal have expressed frustration with what they say is overly cautious and deferential reporting on Trump, at a time when competitors are aggressively scrutinizing the president.

The most recent sign of discontent emerged Wednesday in emails leaked to the New York Times, along with the draft of a story critiqued by the editor in the emails. While internal emails and memos routinely leak from news organizations, story drafts do not.

According to the Times, Gerard Baker, the editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal, emailed a group of reporters and editors regarding the draft of a Journal article covering Trump’s rally in Phoenix. In his midnight message, Baker asked his staff to tone down language in the story that he characterized as opinionated.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/24/top-wall-street-journal-editor-trashes-staffs-trump-article-in-emails-leaked-to-new-york-times/

[Glorfindel]

1. Can't get in, doc. I guess you have to be a subscriber

but if it's important enough for you to post it, it's important enough for me to recommend it. As for the Wall Street Journal, what else can one expect from a stooge working for Rupert Murdoch?

[DURHAM D]

2. Right click and "open link in incognito window"

Maybe that will work.

[Glorfindel]

6. Thanks, DURHAM D. What a neat trick...it actually worked.

I love learning new things.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Hmm - I've been having problems with the WP claiming I have an ad blocker switched on

(I don't), and their 'guide to turning off ad blockers' is useless, since I don't have any of the blockers they mention. That problem comes and goes, so I don't know if your solution always fixes it, but it did work this time at least - I'll try to remember to use it for the WP from now on.

[n2doc]

3. The Post or the WSJ?

On the post site, just going to reader mode on your browser should do it. Or 'private' mode.

The WSJ has a much tougher wall.

[Glorfindel]

4. The Post, and thanks for the tip. I would NEVER attempt to access the WSJ

I cancelled a 40-year membership in National Geographic when Murdoch acquired it.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. Try TWSJ.'s Twitter account, or one run by a reporter for TWSJ., for free access.

Go ahead. Try it:

Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/Fahernthold

White House to direct Pentagon to deny admission to transgender people, give Mattis power to remove those serving

Link to tweet

or:

Scoop: new details about what the WH is telling DoD and Mattis to do on transgender ban, memo to Penty soon

Link to tweet

[Achilleaze]

11. republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief weakening US Defense capabilities

...in order to pander to FAKE christians and foreign enemies.

The russians are licking their greazy chops as republican TreasonWeasels set up the USA for them.

[spanone]

5. well, the Urinal is owned by murdoch

[JimGinPA]

7. Article Caused Me To Look Up "Exegesis"

[dalton99a]

10. Baker is a Trumpanzee who is highly allergic to the word "lie" when it comes to Trump

What a joke

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/business/media/wall-street-journal-editor-admonishes-reporters-over-trump-coverage.html

This month, Politico obtained and published a transcript of a White House interview with Mr. Trump conducted by Mr. Baker and several Journal reporters and editors. Unusually for an editor in chief, Mr. Baker took a leading role in the interview and made small talk with Mr. Trump about travel and playing golf.

When Ivanka Trump, the president’s older daughter, walked into the Oval Office, Mr. Baker told her, according to the transcript, “It was nice to see you out in Southampton a couple weeks ago,” apparently referring to a party that the two had attended.

The Wall Street Journal is owned by the media magnate Rupert Murdoch, who speaks regularly with Mr. Trump and recently dined with the president at the White House.

[TomVilmer]

12. As a journalist, commentary does not belong in normal news articles...

... even when you are challenged to describe what a guy like Trump is doing. But those examples from this article looks far away from comments, and are mere descriptions:

"... Gerard Baker, the editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal, emailed a group of reporters and editors regarding the draft of a Journal article covering Trump’s rally in Phoenix. In his midnight message, Baker asked his staff to tone down language in the story that he characterized as opinionated: “Sorry. This is commentary dressed up as news reporting,” “Could we please just stick to reporting what he said rather than packaging it in exegesis and selective criticism?”

The Times also obtained a copy of the draft reviewed by Baker. When comparing it to the final version published in the Journal, the Times found that several phrases were removed. In one instance, the Journal removed language that described the Charlottesville protests as “reshaping” Trump’s presidency. In another, the newspaper’s staff took out a description of Trump’s Phoenix speech as “an off-script return to campaign form,” in which he “pivoted away from remarks a day earlier in which he had solemnly called for unity.[i/] ...”

[usaf-vet]

13. This is as good a place as any to let out some frustration.

I am a faithful DU reader and sometimes I post replies. Once already today while following a link I was blocked at the front gate (firewall). In this case the the Washington Post. I am not a subscriber and can't afford to be a subscriber to all the possible news sources. My internet browser has ad blocking on as a default. So more and more of what you want to read through to the linked stories will get blocked.

My dad was a newspaper man 80% of his working life. 10% he was a a sailor in WW II and the last 10% he taught printing in a educational setting in a state prison. We grew up reading the papers. He would bring home several copies so we all had the option to read it over breakfast or waiting for the bus.

I understand newspapers run on subscribers and advertising. But when ads become intrusive to the reading of a story that is to much for me. More and more online 'news' sites pepper the stories with pop-up ads that interrupt in mid paragraph with ads leaving the reader searching or waiting to finish the article

In the long run I don't and won't buy from their advertisers. And I won't even waste a moment going to a news site that shove ads in my face.

Local newspapers are starting to go back to covering local news supported by local subscribers and advertisers. Unfortunately many local papers have been bought up by national conglomerates that have national agendas that they are pushing as a matter of editorial policy. That's when local support dies off and local advertising goes away.

The formula that has always worked is being killed by national corporations buying locals and dictating the contents.

[n2doc]

14. Please see posts 2 and 3 n/t