Critic: 'WSJ' Now Thinking Man's 'USA Today'

Switzerland-based Media consultant Philip M. Stone recently got his first good look at the print version of The Wall Street Journal since Rupert Murdoch started monkeying with it. He writes (via TalkingBizNews):

The first thought that came to mind is that this is no longer primarily a business newspaper. It is a general news newspaper that still has a healthy dose of business and financial news. And for people on the road who don't have access to their local newspaper and who buy USA Today then one can't help but think that the WSJ today serves that same purpose -- a national newspaper without local ties that tells you what has really happened over the past 24 hours.

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And that means that Rupert Murdoch is well into his goal of making the WSJ a national newspaper that that could eventually topple the New York Times from its perch as the national newspaper of record. The Times claims it is a national newspaper rather than a New York City newspaper, but in reality it's still a New York City newspaper. The Journal, however, really does seem to have taken on that national mantle.