Not your imagination - fewer big (great) WSJ stories

Those wonderfully rich page 1 stories were once the hallmark of the Journal - the memorable piece you would tell your friends about, that would change policy or kick people out of office. Under Rupert Murdoch, however, the focus is on shorter pieces that often have nothing to do with business. But it's more than that - the paper is just, well, sloppy. The other day I noticed that Warren Buffett's name was misspelled in the lede - a stunning lapse that never would have happened under the old regime. Anyway, CJR's Ryan Chittum quantified the shorter-form Journal by adding up the number of 1,500-word-plus stories over the last decade. As you can see from the chart, there's been a noticeable drop-off beginning when Murdoch took over in late 2007 - and it's not by accident. From CJR:

The Wall Street Journal's page one has long been the standard-bearer for business writing and reporting, at least for newspapers. It took news and turned it into narrative nonfiction, everyday, twice a day, for decades. But Rupert Murdoch made it no secret that he disdained the Journal's page-one tradition of long-form journalism, and it's been de-emphasized under his ownership. That's our qualitative impression, anyway, based on reading the paper, following the tealeaves, and talking to former colleagues.

[CUT]

Certainly, the Journal still does lots of top-flight work, and most stories don't need 2,500 words. But many do, and how does going short as a policy help readers understand the really important stuff like systemic problems, corporate misbehavior, business innovation, or sweeping economic change?