• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, December 29, 2022

Bloomberg LP has denied reports that it is interested in acquiring the Wall Street Journal or Washington Post.  

On Sunday, Bloomberg spokesperson Ty Trippet tweeted, “There have been no conversations with anyone or either organization about an acquisition. The company has no interest in acquiring either.” 

This confirms earlier Reuters reporting that Bloomberg has not approached Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones owner Rupert Murdoch. The Washington Post says it is not for sale. 

However, both Axios and Reuters reported last week that sources within Bloomberg LP say there is interest in an acquisition. Combined with the Bloomberg Terminal, a Dow Jones purchase would create “an unparalleled business news behemoth,” Axios writes. 

A merger with Dow Jones, which also owns Barrons and MarketWatch, would probably also draw antitrust scrutiny, the reports state.  

Bloomberg could probably put together the mega-sum needed to purchase the Journal, and presumably it is uniquely qualified to run the product. Either the Axios report is credible -- or is simply based on something someone thought they heard Michael Bloomberg muttering in a hallway as he was thinking out loud.