Murdoch at the helm

Re “Murdoch’s bid to buy Dow Jones accepted,” Aug. 1

So media mogul Rupert Murdoch finally was able to buy the Wall Street Journal to spread more of his political agenda around the globe. This Australian, who gave up his own citizenship to acquire foreign business interests, wants to compete with the “liberal” New York Times. Aside from owning Fox “Noise” and destroying the integrity of every newspaper he buys, it’s a fact that the publishing business is not only a financial risk but actually, to a man like Murdoch, a bad business decision. Could he be trying to sell his own political agenda and to influence a sleeping population that watch and read his news, I mean, propaganda machine? Wake up, America.

Steve Binder

Oxnard

I am saddened by the news of the approval by the Bancroft family to let Murdoch buy Dow Jones. While I disagreed with its editorial positions, the Wall Street Journal is one of America’s great, independent newspapers. Given Murdoch’s history of eventually interfering with the independence of the papers he buys, it’s only a matter of time until he does this with the Journal. This is a sad day for American journalism.

Steven M. Clayton

Ocean, N.J.

Murdoch in control of the Wall Street Journal? The motives of American business have always been under suspicion. Now those suspicions are confirmed.

Tom Ong

Santa Monica

I would feel worse about Murdoch’s takeover of the Wall Street Journal if it weren’t for the fact that we here in L.A. have been experiencing our own gutting and ripping apart of the Los Angeles Times. High-quality journalism and important investigative reporting have seemingly become the proverbial lambs to the slaughter as newspapers become slaves to shareholders and moneymakers. What is most disturbing is that Murdoch will not just own the newspaper, he seems to almost literally own the world. Someone tell me, have we hit rock bottom yet -- because this dark free-fall at the hands of greed, power and all their accompanying attributes feels like a bottomless pit.

Lori Morse

Los Angeles