This post is for those who maintain, despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary, that the Wall Street Journal is good for nothing except wrapping up fish innards after a trip to the lake. Here are two very good reasons to subscribe: (1) If there is some complex issue on which you’re not sure of what position to take, the WSJ editorial page serves as an indispensable gut check. If it resolutely taxes position X, allowing for no exceptions, ever, under any circumstances, then, as night follows the day, you can be certain that “not X” is the truth. This is worth a great deal. (2) While the WSJ reporting has gone downhill since Murdoch took over, good journalists still work there and they sometimes break important stories such as this one about Heinz ketchup today (via Kevin Drum):
In 2006, when activist investor Nelson Peltz battled Heinz for board seats, he pushed the company to make a number of changes, large and small, including developing easier-to-open ketchup packets.
Heinz went right to work on it, and they’ve just announced this:
This is progress. Squeezers can just tear off the cap. Dippers can just “peel back” the corner. Heinz has made everybody happy with just one little container. And people say our best days are behind us.
