Who owns them?

The Wall Street Journal was founded by Charles H. Dow through his company Dow Jones & Company with the hopes to cover business and financial news. In 2007, however, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation acquired Dow Jones & Company. The News Corporation still owns The Wall Street Journal to this day. (The Editor of Britannica, n.d., par. 2 & 4).

How many are owned by the same parent company?

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation owns a substantial amount of companies. News Corp provides the leading newspaper in the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom. He also owns marketing services, digital real estate services, book publishing, and sports programming in Australia. In 1954, Murdoch took over News Limited, an Australian public corporation. In 1960, the News Corp. took over Daily Mirror and four years later launched The Australian, a national newspaper. In 1960, the company purchased The Sun newspaper in the United Kingdom. In the 1980s, News Corp. bought The Times and Sunday Times. In 2007, News Corporation bought Dow Jones and Company, taking over The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. also purchased the Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 1985. A year later, News Corp. created the Fox Television Stations group, including 28 stations, which is the foundation for FOX Broadcasting and FOX Sports. In 1996, News Corp. created a 24-hour news service known as FOX News Channel. They have also taken over Fox Sports Network, FX, and National Geographic. (Our Leadership, 2018, page 1).

Are any owned by independent sources?

Britannica answers this question best. They state that The Wall Street Journal is owned by News Corporation, a large media company. News Corp is owned by Rupert Murdoch. (The Editors of Britannica, n.d., par. 4). 

What is their annual revenue?

No information regarding the exact revenue of The Wall Street Journal could be found. The Owler estimated an annual revenue of around $420.5 Million. (Wall Street Journal, 2018, section 2). In addition, information on News Corporation’s revenue could also be a good indicator of their revenue. In April of 2018, News Corp merged Foxtel and Fox Sports Australia which led to a 29% increase in revenue to $2.69 billion. (Alpert, 2018, par. 2). However, in 2016, Fortune stated that The Wall Street Journal was cutting back on employees in effort to cut costs. The newspaper also cut sections of the newspapers. The Journal could be struggling due to the decline in print advertising.(Reuters, 2016, par.3)

Where do they get their revenue from?

Like other newspapers, The Wall Street Journal earns its revenue through subscription and advertising. Subscriptions for The Wall Street Journal include digital and print. Print subscriptions run for either $12 for 12 weeks, $129 for 6 months, $258 for 12 months. Digital subscriptions are $12 for 12 weeks, $117 for 6 months, or  $234 for 12 months. You can also do a combination of print and digital subscriptions. (The Wall Street Journal, 2018, page 1). The price of an advertisement typically depends on the length and location. They offer a variety of advertising and do estimates online. (Classifieds, 2015, page 1)

What is their reader/viewer share?

This year, there was a 9% increase in circulation at Dow Jones, which is The Wall Street Journal’s publisher. The Journal added nearly 100,000 digital subscribers making and average of 1.59 million digital subscribers.  (Alpert, 2018, par. 10). According to their website, in 2015 the Wall Street journal was reaching an audience of 22.4 million digital readers. (Circulation & Distribution Areas, 2015, par. 2). The newspaper reaches 30.2 million U.S. visitors across all devices each month. In 2017, the newspaper sold 2.52 million copies each day. (The Wall Street Journal, 2017, page 1).

Is there a particular story that “made” this news venue particular popular? 

There was no single story that really “made” this news venue popular. However, when the newspaper began, they began by writing about business and financial news. Until the beginning of the Great Depression, The Wall Street Journal don't usually publish anything other than business and economic news. Over time, they began to venture from just business articles. Following World War II, The Wall Street Journal increased their publications on other subjects. The Wall Street Journal began carrying two feature articles on the front page. The Journal also publishes tables and popular opinion and editorial pages that are popular. (The Editors of Britannica, n.d., par. 2-3).

Was there a story that this news venue is particular well known for scooping?

Rupert Murdoch purchased The Journal with intentions to cover business and financial news. (The Editors of Britannica, 2018, par. 2). The opinion and editorial pages of The Wall Street Journal publish stories on highly informed business, political, and economic opinion. They also publish readers’ letters and reviews. (The Editors of Britannica, 2018, par. 3). The Wall Street Journal was designed for the business community. (The Wall Street Journal, 2003, par. 2). The Journal is well known for covering stories on stock movements, general market and financial movements, and effects of the markets. (Wall Street Journal, 2003, par. 2).

How does the news site frame itself?

The Wall Street Journal aims to be both specialized and as diverse as the American landscape.(Journal W.S., 2000, par. 4). The Journal also believes in telling what they find, not what the audience wants to hear. (Journal W. S., 2000, par. 5). They state that they “feel no obligation to ask the reader to view the news through rose colored lenses. If the news is good, we are glad. If it is otherwise, we feel it our obligation to report it otherwise.” (Journal W.S., 2000, par. 6).

How is it perceived (conservative/liberal/moderate/completely unreliable/well-respected

for fairness/etc)?

The Wall Street Journal has a right-center bias. This is because their news reporting has little bias, but their editorial pages consist of more conservative. (Wall Street Journal, 2018, par. 2). All Sides also states that the news section is center, but the opinion and editorial pages are a right media bias. (Wall Street Journal, 2018, par. 2).

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