Wall Street Journal

{{media}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Wall Street Journal''}}
{{cquote|If I were to create a list of questions to ask potential managers of my money, one of them would be: “Do you read the ''WSJ'' OpEds?” If the answer were yes, I would not walk but run in the opposite direction.|4=Barry Ritholtz<ref>[http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/06/art-laffer-make-up-your-own-facts-here/ Art Laffer: Make Up Your Own Facts Here], Barry Ritholtz</ref>}}

The '''''Wall Street Journal''''' (abbr. '''WSJ''') is an esteemed, respected [[United States|American]] newspaper (ha!) owned by the Dow Jones Corporation, which focuses on [[business]] and financial market news.  The tone is dry and respectful, and they don't have a comics page (possibly because the op-eds are enough of a joke already). 

Anyone interested in economics has pretty much given up on WSJ. They used to have a decent mix of free and paid content, but now even the real-time economics blog is paid. 

==General decline==
Since [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s purchase of the ''WSJ'' in 2007, many to the left of [[wingnut]] have noticed its declining editorial standards:

*[http://www.brendan-nyhan.com/blog/2010/03/simplistic-wsj-minimum-wage-editorial.html One example of them failing at basic statistics]
*[http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/what-suzanne-somers-knows-about-obamacare-not-very-much-according-to-a-much-ridiculed-column/article15131801/ Another example of them being unable to fact-check]{{efn|Having a noted medical non-expert (in fact, a ''noted'' "expert" at promoting medical [[woo]]) like [[Suzanne Somers]] write (badly) about the economics of the [[Affordable Care Act]] was part of a blatant [[appeal to celebrity]] the WSJ was trying in the early-mid 2010s, in a clear sign of a decline in its rigor. Around this time period, the WSJ drafted many famous entertainers (such as {{wpl|Pat Sajak}} and {{wpl|Morgan Fairchild}} among others) to write on financial and political topics that they were way out of their depth on. Bizarrely, this was often done under the special report title [[bullshit|"The Experts"]]<ref>[https://archives.cjr.org/the_audit/a_celebrity_journal_fiasco.php "A Celebrity Journal fiasco: Quack-loving Suzanne Somers, WSJ "expert" on health care] by Ryan Chittum, Columbia Journalism Review, 2013 October 29</ref>}} 
*[http://thecontributor.com/wall-street-journal-doesnt-think-anyone-makes-under-100k-year The middle class: where you earn a minimum $15,000 a month!]
*[http://online.wsj.com/articles/in-defense-of-land-mines-1403197195 In defense of — wait for it — land mines!]
*[http://wonkette.com/521990/wall-street-journal-wishes-egypt-could-benefit-from-its-very-own-pinochet Egypt needs a Pinochet!]
*[http://www.theatlantic.com/international/print/2014/07/the-dangerous-logic-used-to-justify-killing-civilians/374886/ Dear Israel: Violate the Geneva Conventions!]
*[https://twitter.com/sfmnemonic/status/427257508231532545 Something something Kristallnacht.] What better way to celebrate your 125th anniversary than by raising [[Mike Godwin]] from the dead?
*And did we forget the [[global warming denialism]]?<ref>[http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/07/10/global_warming_wall_street_journal_writer_matt_ridley_doubles_down_on_global.html  Wall Street Journal Doubles Down on Global Warming Denial], ''Slate''</ref> 
*[http://www.wsj.com/articles/eric-metaxas-science-increasingly-makes-the-case-for-god-1419544568 Eric Metaxas wow his readers into an euphoric feeling of goddidit]
*[http://www.wsj.com/articles/paul-mchugh-transgender-surgery-isnt-the-solution-1402615120 Transgenderism: a mental disorder.] It goes without saying that Paul McHugh [[Professor of nothing|is not an authority on the subject of trans people]] and greatly misinterprets the study he quotes.
*[https://www.wsj.com/articles/making-money-is-a-patriotic-act-11565737046?mod=rsswn Making Money is a Patriotic Act] "''The two of us are quite rich. We have earned more money than we could have imagined and more than we can spend on ourselves, our children and grandchildren. These days getting rich off a profitable business is regarded as almost sinister. But we have nothing to apologize for, and we don’t think the government should have more of our profits.''"
*[https://www.wsj.com/articles/kamala-harris-would-be-the-best-democratic-choice-independents-moderates-trump-16273447 Replace Joe Biden with Kamala Harris on the presidential ticket!] Wait, really? They took my advice? [https://www.wsj.com/articles/kamala-harris-isnt-the-change-democrats-need-161d0b2c Nevermind that, then!]

The pandering has (predictably) made the comments section hilariously wingnutty and should be avoided at all costs.

On the other hand, the journalism and opinion sides are known to have a strict firewall. Murdoch had invested $125 million in {{wpl|Theranos||,}} and an opinion writer had written a fawning portrayal of the founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes. When Holmes found out that one of their reporters was doing the ''long''-overdue reporting that would expose her and her company as a complete fraud which was endangering people's lives, she tried to pressure Murdoch into killing the story. Murdoch refused to do so, and the resulting stories definitively proved that Theranos was an outright scam and made it clear that Holmes was a massive con artist; she ultimately ended up convicted and sentenced to prison. So there's that.<ref>https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/11/30/elizabeth-holmes-went-to-rupert-murdoch-to-kill-wsj-theranos-story.html</ref>

==Noted writers==
Former or current opinion contributors and journalists for the ''Wall Street Journal'' that stand out for some reason or another.
{{collist|2| 
*[[Scott Adams]], who praised himself as a "certified genius" using a [[sockpuppet]] when people criticized his WSJ article on MetaFilter.<ref name="williams">Mary Elizabeth Williams, "[http://www.salon.com/2011/04/19/scott_adams_sock_puppetry_scandal/ Dilbert creator's ever-worsening P.R. crisis]", Salon</ref>
*[[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]], penned an op/ed for the WSJ comparing "[[Alt-right glossary#Woke|woke]]ists" and [[Islamist]]s. Also an [[American Enterprise Institute]] (AEI) fellow.<ref>[https://archive.ph/frmBj "What Islamists and ‘Wokeists’ Have in Common"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*[[Joel Brind]], lead author for the only paper purporting to show [[evidence linking abortion to breast cancer]].
*[[John Bolton]], [[neoconservative]] war cheerleader, AEI fellow, veteran of the [[Dubya]] and [[Trump]] administrations.<ref>John Bolton (March 15, 2023). [https://archive.ph/yByqq "Why Won’t the West Let Ukraine Win Against Russia?"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*[[Dick Cheney]] and [[Liz Cheney]], some more W. Bush alumni.<ref>[https://archive.ph/v81Us "The Collapsing Obama Doctrine"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*{{wpl|John Carreyrou}}, who discovered 21st Century Oncology was defrauding Medicare; this was indirectly what led him to his takedown of Theranos, as a doctor he had asked about billing codes for 21st Century Oncology tipped him off about Theranos.
*[[James Damore]], former [[Google]] employee and critic of their pro-diversity policies.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-i-was-fired-by-google-1502481290 "Why I Was Fired by Google"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*[[Heather Mac Donald]], criminal justice reform opponent and [[Manhattan Institute]] fellow.
*[[Francis Fukuyama]], writer of ''The End of History and the Last Man''.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-the-end-of-history-still-stands-democracy-1402080661 At the 'End of History' Still Stands Democracy] Francis Fukuyama. ''Wall Street Journal''. JUN.6.14</ref>
*[[Richard A. Gardner]], psychiatrist who testified in "[[Satanic ritual abuse]]" cases.<ref>Richard Gardner (February 21, 1993). [https://web.archive.org/web/20011223153001/http://www.vix.com/pub/men/falsereport/wsj-witchhunt.html "Modern Witch Hunt: Child Abuse Charges"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*[[Jonah Goldberg]], editor for the ''[[National Review Online]]''. AEI fellow.<ref>[https://archive.ph/wbQIc "Big Dumb Lie"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*[[Franklin Graham]], Trump-supporting [[evangelist]] Christian.<ref>[https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/franklin-graham-and-the-high-cost-of-the-lost-evangelical-witness/ "Franklin Graham and the High Cost of the Lost Evangelical Witness"] by David French, 2019 April 25, National Review</ref>
*[[Brett Kavanaugh]], Trump-appointed [[Supreme Court]] justice. [[Federalist Society]] affiliate.<ref name="c-dismissed">[https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/18/politics/kavanaugh-complaints-dimissed/index.html Complaints against Brett Kavanaugh dismissed by federal judicial council]. CNN. December 18, 2018.</ref> 
*David Klinghoffer, a fellow for the creationist [[Discovery Institute]].<ref>[https://archive.ph/m5cK4 The Branding of a Heretic: Are religious scientists unwelcome at the Smithsonian?] by David Klinghoffer (January 28, 2005) ''Opinion Journal from the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page''.</ref>
*[[Richard Lindzen]] is their go-to guy on climate issues, and most, if not every column on the issue either makes hay of [[warmist]]s, or downplays it as "alarmism".<ref> [http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/01/31/207429/wall-street-journal-selectively-pro-science/#more-41402 WSJ: Selectively pro-science], ThinkProgress</ref><ref>Real Climate: [http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2005/06/the-wall-street-journal-vs-the-consensus-of-the-scientific-community/ WSJ vs. the Consensus of the Scientific Community], [http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/04/lindzen-point-by-point/ Lindzen: Point-by-point], [http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/02/wsj-editorial-board-head-still-buried-in-the-sand/ WSJ Editorial Board: Head Still Buried in Sand], [http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/10/global-warming-delusions-at-the-wall-street-journal/ Global warming delusions at the WSJ], etc.</ref>
*John Mackey, co-founder and longtime [[libertarian]] CEO for [[Whole Foods Market]].<ref>Claire Prentice (August 23, 2009). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8216685.stm "Customers call for Whole Foods boycott"]. BBC News.</ref>
*William McGurn, WSJ editorial board member who was also once a chief speechwriter for [[George W. Bush]] in the waning years of the administration.<ref>[https://archive.ph/HqExc "William McGurn"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref><ref>Dylan Byers (December 11, 2012). [https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/12/william-mcgurn-named-new-york-post-editorial-page-editor-151642 "William McGurn named New York Post editorial page editor"]. ''Politico''.</ref>
*Paul R. McHugh, anti-LGBT psychiatrist.<ref>Nathaniel Frank (June 16, 2014). [https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/06/the-wall-street-journal-displays-shocking-ignorance-about-lgbtq-issues.html "The Wall Street Journal’s Ignorance on LGBTQ Issues Is Alarming"]. ''Slate''.</ref>
*[[Rupert Murdoch]] himself, of course.<ref>Rupert Murdoch (June 18, 2014). [http://www.wsj.com/articles/rupert-murdoch-immigration-reform-cant-wait-1403134311 "Immigration Reform Can't Wait"], ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*[[Andy Ngo]], right-wing partisan ''politics of spite'' incarnate.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lee|first=Edmund|date=2020-07-24|title=At Wall Street Journal, News Staff and Opinion Side Clash|work=The New York Times|url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211010/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/24/business/media/wall-street-journal-news-opinion-clash-letter.html|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
*[[Matt Ridley]], [[climate change denier]].<ref>[https://whistleblower.org/politicization-of-climate-science/global-warming-denial-machine/ridley-climate-delayer-talking-points-in-the-wsj/ New slew of climate delayer talking points in the WSJ]</ref>
*[[Karl Rove]], another former Dubya advisor.<ref>[https://archive.ph/ktnsp "Karl Rove: I Was Wrong About Dick Cheney . . . "]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*[[Donald Rumsfeld]], Dubya's secretary of defense. AEI fellow.<ref>[https://archive.ph/ToI7S "Donald Rumsfeld's Rules for Successful Meetings"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*[[Bernie Sanders]], a mere guest essayist.<ref>[https://archive.ph/RrL2J "Why We Need the $3.5 Trillion Reconciliation Package"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref> ''One of these things is not like the others...''
*[[Abigail Shrier]], purveyor of anti-trans [[moral panic]].
*[[Amity Shlaes]], former WSJ board member.
*[[Suzanne Somers]], Playboy cover model and [[woo]] promoter.
*[[Christina Hoff Sommers]], faux-feminist and AEI fellow.<ref>[https://archive.ph/vtADv "‘The Gender Gage Rap Is Real!’"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*Willie Soon, of the [[Soon and Baliunas controversy]].<ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/wall-street-journal/wsj-op-ed-denies-dangers-us-mercury-emissions "WSJ Op-Ed Denies Dangers Of U.S. Mercury Emissions"]. Media Matters for America.</ref>
*The editorial pages regularly feature [[Ben Steinery]] (often with columns by [[Ben Stein|the man himself]]).
*[[Bret Weinstein]], merchant of [[COVID-19 vaccine]] doubt.<ref>[https://archive.ph/b1TVl "The Campus Mob Came for Me—and You, Professor, Could Be Next "]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
*Bari Weiss, [[Intellectual Dark Web]] admirer.
*[[Paul Wolfowitz]], an architect of the [[Iraq War]] and AEI fellow.<ref>[https://archive.ph/xoKZC "U.S. Taiwan Policy Threatens a Face-Off With China"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>
}}

===Racialist letter signatories===
"{{wpl|Mainstream Science on Intelligence||,}}" a public letter that defended racialist pseudoscience, received publication in the ''Wall Street Journal'' on December 13, 1994. It had 52 signatories. Some are listed below.
{{collist|2| 
*Douglas K. Detterman, founder of the International Society for Intelligence Research (ISIR).
*[[Hans Eysenck]], former ''Mankind Quarterly'' editorial board member.
*Robert A. Gordon, who was one of several signatories to receive funding from the white supremacist [[Pioneer Fund]].
*[[Linda Gottfredson]], also received Pioneer Fund money. Former president for the ISIR.
*Garrett Hardin, [[Cornucopian vs. Malthusian debate|neo-Malthusian]].
*{{wpl|Richard J. Haier||,}} [[racialist]] editor-in-chief of ''[[Intelligence (journal)|Intelligence]]''.
*Seymour Itzkoff, contributor for ''Mankind Quarterly''.
*[[Arthur Jensen]], another Pioneer Fund recipient.
*[[Richard Lynn]], former editor-in-chief of ''Mankind Quarterly''.
*[[Robert Plomin]], has also written columns for the WSJ.
*[[J. Philippe Rushton]], Pioneer Fund recipient.
}}

==See also==
*''[[Investor's Business Daily]]'', its nuttier younger brother.
*''The [[National Post]]'', its Canadian cousin.
*''[[The New York Times]]'', its less conservative neighbor.

==External links==
*Gawker.com: [http://archive.ph/http://gawker.com/wsj-has-a-different-point-of-view-it-would-like-to-shar-1532102749 archive.ph], [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://gawker.com/wsj-has-a-different-point-of-view-it-would-like-to-shar-1532102749 web.archive.org] {{---}} A tale of two newspapers.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
[[Category:American media]]
[[Category:Denialist organizations]]
[[Category:Murdochsphere]]
[[Category:Newspapers]]
[[Category:New York]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoting organizations]]

Categories: American media, Denialist organizations, Murdochsphere, Newspapers, New York, Pseudoscience promoting organizations