Wall Street Journal versus New York Times: It is so on!

Tensions between The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are on the rise as the two papers increasingly compete for the same pool of general-interest and local-market readers. A column by Times media critic David Carr accusing the Journal of slanting its news coverage in the conservative direction favored by owner Rupert Murdoch has drawn a sharp response from the Journal's managing editor, Robert Thomson -- who offers a pretty stinging accusation of his own.

Thomson says the article by "a Mr. David Carr" constitutes "yet more evidence that The New York Times is uncomfortable about the rise of an increasingly successful rival while its own circulation and credibility are in retreat." He criticizes Carr for relying on "a succession of anonymous quotes and unsubstantiated assertions" to make his case.