DOJ Probing WSJ Over Alleged Fortune-Sharing with Chinese Officials

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The New York Observer is reporting that the U.S. Dept. of Justice is investigating a whistleblower's allegations that Chinese government officials received gifts from the News Corp.-owned Wall St. Journal in exchange for information used in articles in Rupert Murdoch's national business daily.

An inquiry by outside attorneys and auditors commissioned by News Corp. dismissed the allegations as baseless, the media conglomerate said in a written statement. The company questioned whether the alleged whistleblower might be a Chinese government agent retaliating against the WSJ for its coverage, and noted how the recent hacking of The New York Times and other news media outlets was suspected to be the work of  Chinese government agents as a reprisal against negative reporting.

Could be the Chinese government propaganda machine trying to sully and intimidate the foreign press into writing non-critical stories about the regime.  On the other hand, given Murdoch's phone hacking scandal in the U.K,, it may be hard to find a horse to root for in this race.