Murdoch calls Dow Jones meeting "constructive"

MURDOCH CALLS DOW JONES MEETING "CONSTRUCTIVE"
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Robert MacMillan and Kenneth Li]
Rupert Murdoch said on Monday that he had a "constructive" meeting with the Bancrofts to reassure the family that controls Dow Jones & Co. Inc. that his $5 billion offer for the company will not undermine its flagship newspaper, The Wall Street Journal. Murdoch and his son James, met key members of the Bancroft family, which in total holds 64 percent of the voting power in Dow Jones, for the first time in New York. One focus of the five hours of discussions was safeguards to preserve editorial independence at the Journal, which is a key concern for the Bancrofts, as well as editors and reporters at Dow Jones. The union representing over 2,000 Dow Jones workers, the Independent Association of Publishers' Employees, said on Monday it had retained advisers to seek alternative bids that could better protect the publication's "unquestioned journalistic integrity."
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=industryNews&storyID...

* Murdoch, Dow Jones's Bancrofts Meet to Discuss Paper's Autonomy
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/04/AR200706...

* 2 Sides Meet Face to Face on Dow Jones
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/business/media/05dow.html

See also --

* Dow Jones Union Hires Advisors to Seek Alternatives to Murdoch Bid
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...

* Family Dissidents Could Block Dow Jones Sale
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/business/media/05place.html

* Wall Street Journal's Net Worth Isn't in Profits
If all you care about is reported profit, you wouldn't want any part of owning the Wall Street Journal. The paper, for all its cachet and influence, is at best marginally profitable.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/04/AR200706...