Wall Street Journal circulation scam claims senior Murdoch executive

Andrew Langhoff resigns as European publishing chief after exposure of secret channels of cash to help boost sales figures

Nick Davies
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 12 October 2011 12.27 EDT 
 
One of Rupert Murdoch's most senior European executives has resigned following Guardian inquiries about a circulation scam at News Corporation's flagship newspaper, the Wall Street Journal.
The Guardi
an found evidence that the Journal had been channelling money through European companies in order to secretly buy thousands of copies of its own paper at a knock-down rate, misleading readers and advertisers about the Journal's true circulation.

The bizarre scheme included a formal, written contract in which the Journal persuaded one company to co-operate by agreeing to publish articles that promoted its activities, a move which led some staff to accuse the paper's management of violating journalistic ethics and jeopardising its treasured reputation for editorial quality.