In an interview with the Journal—the crown jewel of his quarantined newspaper business— Mr. Murdoch denied that his decision was influenced by the so-called "Murdoch Discount." The Murdoch Discount is the theory that News Corp. shares trade at less than what they're worth because the company is run at Mr. Murdoch's whim and he's liable to do things like, say, grossly overpay for The Wall Street Journal.

"I don't give a ---- about that," he told the Journal.

Judging from Journal precedent, the four letter word at play was not "damn."