Preview
  • War at the Wall Street Journal

  • Inside the Struggle to Control an American Business Empire
  • By: Sarah Ellison
  • Narrated by: Judith Brackley
  • Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (33 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

War at the Wall Street Journal

By: Sarah Ellison
Narrated by: Judith Brackley
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.47

Buy for $15.47

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

This is a tale about big business, an imploding dynasty, a mogul at war, and a deal that sums up an era of change. The main character, rocked by feuding factions and those who would remake it, is the Wall Street Journal, which affects the thoughts, votes, and stocks of two million readers daily. Sarah Ellison, while at the Journal, won praise for covering the $5-billion acquisition that transformed the pride of Dow Jones and the estimable but eccentric Bancroft family into the jewel of Rupert Murdoch's kingdom.

Going above and beyond her original reporting and the accounts of others, Ellison uses her knowledge of the paper and its people to go deep inside the landmark transaction - and also far beyond it, into the rocky transition when Murdoch's crew tussled with old Journal hands and geared up for battle with the New York Times. With access to all the players, Ellison moves from newsrooms (where editors duel) to estates (where the Bancrofts go at it like the Ewings). She shows Murdoch, finally, for who he is: maneuvering, firing, and undoing all that the Bancrofts had protected.

Here is a superlative account of a deal with reverberations beyond the news, told with the storytelling savvy that transforms big stories into timeless chronicles of American life and power.

©2010 Sarah Ellison (P)2010 Tantor
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“Ellison offers a close look into a raw, aggressive power in international commerce.” ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about War at the Wall Street Journal

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

VERY detailed

Perhaps too much for non-journalists, or those not interested in media studies; I myself work in media, so I found this excellent to understanding the back door dealings that sold the WSJ, those who lost, those who won, the details of the Bancroft family's downfall.
That being said: The painstaking detail in which this is told is a credit to Ellison's journalistic ethics, research, and dogged resolution to eschew sensationalism, but might make it too detailed and too much for non-journalism lovers to handle. An abridged version might be nice for them.
Also, would have loved much more description of the Journal's post-takeover policies for writing and the effect of Murdoch on the content of the paper--the book focuses inordinately on the effects of Murdoch on the editorial board, instead.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful