War at the Wall Street Journal by Sarah Ellison

A solid thought-provoking account that tells the story of how this family-owned media titan was sold and bought.

At first it was tough getting into the account because the introduction was as historically rich as it was diversely deep; in terms of the way the family were linked, and the complexities of the Dow Jones & journal's layout; i.e., stockholders, the board, the legal counsel, and of course the men and women who worked within the companies. But after the introduction, the story took off at a speed where it almost didn't seem to matter who the main players were, with the exception, of course, of Murdoch.

My overall thoughts on the writing was that although the account was written in a style that hinted at which characters, or positions the author favored, the writing style also allowed me to cogitate over the nuance of arguments to form my own opinions.

I was not in favor of paper being sold, which really wasn't the real argument. I think the family, and those who worked for Dow and the journal, along with those who opposed the buyout, wouldn't have been as concerned had it not been for the perceived notion that it wasn't only the paper being sold, but rather a principle, a morale code of ethics, something like selling your body, where once you do, you lose a part of yourself you never get back.

I did, however, come to terms with the way things played out, much in the same way as some of the family. Even so, it sure might make for a priceless keepsake to have on hand a few of the historical journals. And certainly this book is noteworthy reporting and documentation.