Page Six Fallout May Hurt Murdoch

Shenanigans at the New York Post may mean trouble for Rupert Murdoch's Dow Jones bid, David Carr writes in today's Times. The tales of sex, lies, and bribery spicing up Page Six are normal fare for the gossip standby, but the fact that they're about the Post itself may not sit well with the owners of the Wall Street Journal.

A juicy affidavit by a former Post employee details a host of editorial transgressions, including allegations that Murdoch manipulated coverage. The Post got in front of the story Friday with an account Carr gleefully compares to Proust; he goes on to speculate about the story's effect on Murdoch's ongoing  "public makeover from ruthless mogul to reverent steward of the news." (More Rupert Murdoch stories.)