Romenesko

Miami Herald
Edward Wasserman scolds Wall Street Journal managing editor Paul Steiger and his associates for sitting on the Murdoch/Dow Jones story. "Assuming instead that Journal editors are journalists before they are Dow senior managers, the problem boils down to this: Did Murdoch's assertion of confidentiality obligate Journal editors to keep his secret? Or does confidentiality rest on an agreement, to which the parties to the secrecy must consent? Put another way, why couldn't Steiger have replied to Murdoch, 'Sorry, I'm not your confidant, I'm the editorial chief of one of the world's great newspapers. You've misjudged in presuming my willingness -- and, by extension, that of the newsroom I lead -- to tacitly collaborate in your plans?'"