(2007-08-01) — In the wake of the takeover of the Wall Street Journal by Fox News mogul Rupert Murdoch, the publisher of the New York Times has asked the White House for a federal disaster declaration from President George Bush in order to rush funding to the former “newspaper of record.”

In the aftermath of the deal, newsrooms around the country fell into chaos, with many editors wondering aloud who will set the agenda for their news coverage in the coming days.

Indeed, the New York Times, already suffering from the general malaise in the industry, could be hardest hit.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said the president has scheduled a helicopter flyover of downtown New York City later today to survey the damage, and that he would give appropriate direction to the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.