The Wall Street Journal is the most-read financial newspaper in the world and one of the most influential media institutions in American history. It has won 39 Pulitzer Prizes, broken some of the biggest business and political stories of the last century, and shaped the financial opinions of presidents, CEOs, and investors for over 137 years.
But who actually owns it? The answer runs through a $5 billion acquisition, a bitter family inheritance battle, a courtroom drama in Nevada, and one of the most powerful media dynasties on the planet — the Murdoch family.
What Is The Wall Street Journal?
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is an American daily newspaper headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, focused primarily on business, finance, and national and international news.
It was first published on July 8, 1889, and today operates on a subscription model with over 4.5 million digital and print subscribers worldwide as of 2025 — making it the second-largest newspaper in the world by paid subscribers, behind only The New York Times.
The WSJ publishes six days a week and operates international editions including The Asian Wall Street Journal (edited in Hong Kong) and The Wall Street Journal Europe (edited in Brussels). Its website wsj.com has been primarily subscription-only since 1995 — one of the first major news outlets to successfully implement a paywall.
Who Owns The Wall Street Journal in 2026?
The ownership chain of the WSJ has three layers — and understanding all three is essential.
The Wall Street Journal is published by Dow Jones & Company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWSA / NWS).
News Corp is publicly traded but effectively controlled by the Murdoch family through a dual-class share structure. As of 2026, voting control over News Corp — and therefore over the WSJ — rests solely with Lachlan Murdoch, the eldest son of media patriarch Rupert Murdoch, following a landmark family trust settlement concluded in September 2025.
In simple terms: The Wall Street Journal → Dow Jones & Company → News Corp → Murdoch Family (Lachlan Murdoch).
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow Jones & Company | Direct Publisher of WSJ | 100% owner of WSJ brand | Division of News Corp; also publishes Barron’s, MarketWatch, Factiva |
| News Corp (NASDAQ: NWSA/NWS) | Parent Company of Dow Jones | Full ownership of Dow Jones | Revenue $8.45 billion (2025); 22,300 employees worldwide |
| Lachlan Murdoch | Controlling Shareholder of News Corp | Sole voting control via family trust (term until 2050) | Eldest son of Rupert; Chairman of News Corp since 2023 |
| Rupert Murdoch | Founder & Chairman Emeritus | No longer in operational control | Stepped down as Chairman in 2023; married Elena Zhukova in June 2024 |
| Murdoch Family Trust (LGC Holdco) | Controlling Shareholder vehicle | ~33% voting power in News Corp | Family trust restructured September 2025; Lachlan has sole management control until 2050 |
| Vanguard Group | Largest Institutional Investor in News Corp | Significant NWSA stake | Passive index fund giant |
| BlackRock | Major Institutional Investor | Significant NWSA stake | World’s largest asset manager |
| Robert Thomson | CEO of News Corp | Management role | Leads News Corp day-to-day operations |
| Emma Tucker | Editor-in-Chief of WSJ | Editorial leadership | Leads the WSJ newsroom |
| Almar Latour | Publisher of WSJ | Publishing leadership | Business head of WSJ operations |
| Bancroft Family | Previous Controlling Owner | Fully exited in 2007 | Controlled Dow Jones for 105 years; sold to News Corp for $5 billion |
The Origin Story: Three Journalists and a Financial News Revolution
The story of the Wall Street Journal starts not in a corporate boardroom, but on the streets of lower Manhattan in 1882, with three young financial journalists who had a simple but revolutionary idea.
Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser founded Dow Jones & Company in 1882 and began hand-delivering a daily financial news bulletin — called the “Customers’ Afternoon Letter” — to brokers on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
It was two pages long, handwritten, and delivered by foot. Seven years later, on July 8, 1889, they formalized and expanded it into the first edition of The Wall Street Journal — four pages long, sold for two cents, and delivered to several hundred New York City readers.
Charles Dow and Edward Jones had previously created the Dow Jones Industrial Average — the famous stock market index that still bears their names today. When Dow died in 1902, he arranged to sell Dow Jones and the Journal to Clarence W. Barron, the Boston correspondent for the paper, for $130,000. The Barron family’s descendants — the Bancroft family — would go on to control the WSJ for the next 105 years.
The Bancroft Family: 105 Years of Ownership
For over a century, The Wall Street Journal was a family newspaper. The Bancroft family — descendants of Clarence Barron — maintained controlling ownership of Dow Jones & Company through a dual-class share structure that gave them 64% of all voting stock, despite owning a smaller percentage of total shares.
Under Bancroft family stewardship, the WSJ grew from a small financial bulletin into the definitive voice of American business journalism. The family was known for prizing editorial independence above commercial considerations — a reputation that made the eventual sale to Rupert Murdoch all the more controversial.
The Bancroft family had long resisted outside acquisition offers. But by 2007, with the newspaper industry under severe financial pressure from the rise of the internet, Rupert Murdoch came calling with a $5 billion offer — and this time, after months of heated internal family debate, enough members of the Bancroft family said yes.
How Rupert Murdoch Bought The Wall Street Journal for $5 Billion
The acquisition of The Wall Street Journal by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp in 2007 was one of the most dramatic media deals of the 21st century — and one of the most debated.
Murdoch first approached Dow Jones with an offer of $60 per share — a massive 67% premium over the stock’s trading price at the time — in April 2007. The Bancroft family, which effectively controlled 64% of all voting stock, initially rejected the offer outright.
But Murdoch did not walk away. He launched a months-long public and private campaign to win over individual Bancroft family members, promising to maintain editorial independence through a special board committee.
On August 1, 2007, News Corp and Dow Jones entered into a definitive merger agreement. The $5 billion deal was finalized on December 13, 2007, ending the Bancroft family’s 105 years of ownership and adding the WSJ to a Murdoch empire that already included Fox News, The New York Post, The Times of London, and dozens of other media properties.
Critics feared that Murdoch — known for using his media outlets to advance political agendas — would compromise the WSJ’s editorial independence. Supporters argued the deal was the only viable path to securing the newspaper’s financial future. Nearly two decades later, the debate continues.
The Murdoch Family Battle That Just Ended — And What It Means
The biggest ownership news involving the Wall Street Journal in recent history happened not in a newsroom but in a Nevada courtroom — and it concluded in September 2025.
Rupert Murdoch, now in his mid-90s, had been locked in a bitter legal battle with three of his six children — James, Elisabeth, and Prudence — over control of the Murdoch Family Trust, which holds the super-voting shares that control both News Corp and Fox Corporation.
Rupert wanted to amend the trust’s terms to give his eldest son Lachlan permanent, exclusive control. The other three children challenged the move, arguing the trust was irrevocable.
In December 2024, a Nevada probate court rejected Rupert’s plan, ruling that he and Lachlan had acted in “bad faith.” But rather than continuing the fight, the family reached a private settlement in September 2025 — and the terms were clear.
James, Elisabeth, and Prudence each received approximately $1.1 billion in proceeds and agreed to sell all their personal holdings in News Corp and Fox Corporation.
A new trust structure was established with a term running until 2050, under which voting control over the News Corp and Fox shares owned by LGC Holdco rests solely with Lachlan Murdoch through his appointed managing director.
The result: Lachlan Murdoch now has permanent, unchallenged control over News Corp — and therefore over The Wall Street Journal — until at least 2050. The WSJ is, for the foreseeable future, a Lachlan Murdoch asset.
How Big Is The Wall Street Journal Today?
The WSJ has grown remarkably in the digital era — defying the decline that has devastated most other print newspapers.
As of June 2025, the WSJ has 4,538,000 total news subscribers — 4,126,000 digital-only and 412,000 print plus digital. That makes it the largest newspaper in the United States by print circulation and the second-largest globally by paid subscribers. Its parent company Dow Jones also publishes Barron’s, MarketWatch, Mansion Global, and Factiva, making it one of the most comprehensive business media networks in the world.
News Corp’s total revenue reached $8.45 billion in 2025, with the Dow Jones division — led by the WSJ — being one of its most important and profitable business segments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns The Wall Street Journal in 2026?
The Wall Street Journal is owned by Dow Jones & Company, a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWSA), which is controlled by Lachlan Murdoch through the Murdoch Family Trust.
Q2. Who is the current controlling owner of News Corp?
Lachlan Murdoch, eldest son of Rupert Murdoch, holds sole voting control over News Corp through the restructured Murdoch Family Trust, with that control locked in until 2050.
Q3. How much did Rupert Murdoch pay for The Wall Street Journal?
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp acquired Dow Jones & Company — publisher of the WSJ — for $5 billion on December 13, 2007.
Q4. Who owned The Wall Street Journal before Murdoch?
The Bancroft family, descendants of Clarence Barron, controlled Dow Jones & Company and the WSJ for 105 years before selling to News Corp in 2007.
Q5. Who founded The Wall Street Journal?
The WSJ was founded by Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser and first published on July 8, 1889, in New York City.
Q6. What happened with the Murdoch family trust in 2025?
In September 2025, a settlement ended the family legal battle, giving Lachlan Murdoch permanent sole voting control over News Corp and Fox Corporation until 2050, with James, Elisabeth, and Prudence Murdoch each receiving approximately $1.1 billion to exit.
Q7. How many subscribers does The Wall Street Journal have?
As of June 2025, the WSJ has over 4.5 million total subscribers — 4.1 million digital-only and 412,000 print plus digital.
Q8. Who is the Editor-in-Chief of The Wall Street Journal in 2026?
Emma Tucker serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Wall Street Journal, with Almar Latour as Publisher and Robert Thomson as CEO of News Corp.
The Wall Street Journal is owned by Dow Jones & Company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWSA). News Corp is effectively controlled by the Murdoch family, with Lachlan Murdoch now holding sole voting control through the restructured Murdoch Family Trust — a control that is locked in until 2050 following the landmark September 2025 family settlement.
Rupert Murdoch purchased Dow Jones from the Bancroft family in December 2007 for $5 billion — ending 105 years of family ownership. The paper was founded in 1889 by Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser, and has since grown to over 4.5 million subscribers, 39 Pulitzer Prizes, and a global reputation as the definitive voice of American business journalism.