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by Sarah Ellison (Author)
A tale about big business, an imploding dynasty, a mogul at war, and a deal that epitomized an era of change
While working at the Wall Street Journal, Sarah Ellison 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. Here she expands that story, using her knowledge of the paper and its people to go deep inside the landmark transaction, as no outsider has or can, 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 to estates and shows Murdoch, finally, for who he is--maneuvering, firing, undoing all that the Bancrofts had protected. Her superlative account transforms news of the deal into a timeless chronicle of American life and power.
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A definitive, indeed cinematic account . . . [Ellison] spins an absorbing yarn played out on super-yachts and in corporate jets, populated by an irresistible cast of characters. New York Times Book Review
This is the tale of an imploding dynasty, a mogul at war, and a deal that sums up an era of dramatic change. The main character is the Wall Street Journal, an American media institution. While at the Journal, Sarah Ellison won praise for her coverage of the $5 billion acquisition that transformed the pride of Dow Jones and the Bancroft family into the jewel of Rupert Murdoch s News Corp. In this engrossing book, she uses her knowledge of the paper and its people to go deep inside the landmark deal and rocky transition when Murdoch s crew tussled with old Journal hands and geared up for battle with the New York Times. She moves from the newsrooms where editors duel to the estates where Bancroft family members go at it like the Ewings. She shows Murdoch, finally, for who he is a ruthless tycoon, maneuvering, firing, undoing all that the Bancrofts had protected.War at the Wall Street Journal 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. "Riveting and engaging." Boston Globe"[Ellison] uses her access to all of the significant players in the narrative, as she puts it in her source notes, to chronicle the deal with precision. Inside the news business such detailed narratives are called tick-tocks, and hers beats like a metronome." Washington Post SARAH ELLISON led the Wall Street Journal s coverage of Rupert Murdoch s bid for Dow Jones. Her stories about the media business have been recognized by the Newswomen s Club of New York and the New York Press Club."
