Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

The Wall Street Journal

U.S. right-center

Owned byDow Jones & Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp, controlled by Lachlan Murdoch (son of Rupert Murdoch, who stepped back from active control in 2023; succession formalized in a September 2025 family trust settlement)
FundingPrimarily subscription-based (roughly 80% of revenue); advertising makes up most of the remainder. As of late 2025, the WSJ had approximately 4.3 million digital-only subscribers, with digital revenue accounting for 82% of Dow Jones total revenue.
On the administrationmixed

Background

The Wall Street Journal was founded on July 8, 1889, by Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser as a two-page financial bulletin aimed at Wall Street investors. It grew into the country's dominant business newspaper over the following century. In 2007, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp acquired parent company Dow Jones & Company for approximately $5 billion, a deal that drew concern from journalists about editorial independence. The editorial board has long championed free-market economics, low taxes, and deregulation, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential conservative editorial pages in American journalism. The paper's news division is generally considered more centrist and has maintained a reputation for rigorous business and investigative reporting. In 2023, Rupert Murdoch stepped back from active leadership, handing control to his son Lachlan; a family trust settlement in September 2025 cemented Lachlan's position. During Trump's second term, the editorial board notably criticized the administration's tariffs—attributing tens of thousands of lost manufacturing jobs to the policy—and called out the Trump family's financial activities as 'cashing in on the Presidency in big and sketchy ways.' The WSJ also became the subject of a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump in 2025 over its reporting on an alleged Epstein birthday letter, which the paper defended vigorously.

Sources

  1. Lachlan Murdoch cements control of Fox and WSJ media empire in new family deal
  2. Wall Street Journal: Trump family 'cashing in on the presidency in big and sketchy ways'
  3. Murdoch Paper Wall Street Journal Goes Scorched Earth on Trump for 'Destroying' Jobs
  4. WSJ Subs Rise as Pricing Under Review; Pro Titles Drive Revenue Higher
  5. Wall Street Journal - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check
  6. Wall Street Journal (News) Media Bias | AllSides
  7. The Wall Street Journal - Wikipedia
  8. Trump lawsuit against Murdoch and 'Wall Street Journal' turns personal
  9. A History of The Wall Street Journal | Historic Newspapers

Profile compiled 2026-07-20; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

← Back to track record