'WSJ' Gets Readers' Opinions on Hacking

The Wall Street Journal might have underplayed [1] the massive impact of the News Corp. hacking scandal in several op-eds [2], but that doesn’t mean that the newspaper isn’t concerned with the scandal’s effect on its own readership.

According to the New York Times, WSJ subscribers received a survey [3] last week asking readers various questions in an attempt to gauge the U.S. response to the illegal hacking in the U.K.—as well as their feelings towards Rupert Murdoch.

The survey begins with yes-or-no questions like “Have you heard or seen anything in the news or elsewhere over the past few weeks about News Corp. or News of the World, a U.K.-based tabloid?” and “Have you seen or heard anything in the news or elsewhere recently about Rupert Murdoch, C.E.O. of News Corp.?”

Another question, asking readers whether a company’s CEO should be held responsible “for all the actions of all its employees, no matter how large the corporation is,” requires an answer on a scale of 1 to 10, ranging from “disagree completely” to “agree completely.”

Subscribers are also asked whether they are aware that Murdoch is chairman of Dow Jones, the publisher of the WSJ, and concludes with questions about whether the newspaper’s changes and expansion in content have improved the WSJ since Murdoch’s takeover.

While the WSJ is hoping to get a better understanding of whether the hacking scandal has rocked News Corp.’s U.S. properties, readers can apparently stand to gain something from the survey, too: Two of them will win a digital camera, iPod, or Kindle.