They Saw the Sign ($$$)

Employees of Dow Jones & Company haven't been shy about voicing their opinion against the selling of the Wall Street Journal to media mogul Rupert Murdoch, but since their opinion has been overlooked, they feel it couldn't hurt to ask a few extra dollars of the man . . .

While higher-ups at Dow Jones went into negotiations with the billionaire owner of News Corporation, many Wall Street Journal employees spoke up to express their opinion that the company should not sell. But even before this exchange took place, employee's in the Journal's newsroom had expressed discontent with the pay that they had been receiving from Dow Jones. The company had offerred the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees --the union that most of the Journal's staff is under-- a pay raise of 3% over the next few years. With a change in ownership though, former dissenters of Murdoch have set their sights on him as their new financial savior.

In the days leading up to Murdoch's arrival at Dow Jones, posters began appearing around the newsroom bearing the face of Murdoch and the phrase "Show Us The Money". Soon after the posters appearance though, they disappeared, only to reappear again right before Murdoch's visit. The Wall Street Journal claims that it's not about to censor their employees since their very business is in the power of free speech. However, newsroom employees came to work on the day of Murdoch's visit to find the posters gone again.

With this appeal to Murdoch coming and going and Murdoch's own legendary dominance coming into play, one wonders if Wall Street Journal employees will be able to make a change or even speak up for themselves. While the power changes hands, those underneath may be passed over. With writers becoming unsure of themselves over this and many other new developments and changes among the staff at the Journal, the news reader may be left to wonder about the future integrity of one of the most respected names in news.