In his “Media Equation” column today, The New York Times‘s David Carr took on The Wall Street Journal, two years after Rupert Murdoch‘s News Corp. bought the financial paper.

Carr contends that Murdoch’s influence has made the paper more right-leaning, going so far as to say that the paper is trending more towards New York Post territory than its more impartial news brethren, like the Times:

“[U]nder Mr. Murdoch’s leadership, the newspaper is no longer anchored by those deep dives into the boardrooms of American business with quaint stippled portraits, opting instead for a much broader template of breaking general interest news articles with a particular interest in politics and big splashy photos.”

The Journal (and Murdoch) isn’t one to take this sort of criticism lying down. We’ve already received a comment from the paper’s managing editor Robert Thomson, disputing Carr’s claims and striking back at the Times. “Whether it be in the quest for prizes or in the disparagement of competitors, principle is but a bystander at The New York Times,” he said.

After the jump, Thomson’s full statement.

Said Thomson:

“The news column by a Mr. David Carr today is 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. The usual practice of quoting ex-employees was supplemented by a succession of anonymous quotes and unsubstantiated assertions. The attack follows the extraordinary actions of Mr. Bill Keller, the Executive Editor, who, among other things, last year wrote personally and at length to a prize committee casting aspersions on Journal journalists and journalism. Whether it be in the quest for prizes or in the disparagement of competitors, principle is but a bystander at The New York Times.”

Expect even more back and forth between the Times and Murdoch’s staffers once the Journal‘s New York section — created to compete with the Times in a whole new way — launches. It’s not going to be pretty.

Under Murdoch, Tilting Rightward at the Journal –New York Times

Previously: Wal Street Journal Looks To Hire Local NY Reporters