WSJ just reported that Financial Times publisher Pearson has been trying to recruit partners to make an offer that would compete with Rupert Murdoch's $60-a-share bid. Among those Pearson is talking to are Hearst and GE, but the Journal reports that it's still just talk. Earlier, there had been chatter about GE joining up with Microsoft in a bid. GE has a big stake in the outcome because it owns highly profitable CNBC, which could lose some heft if Murdoch took over (he's starting up his own business news channel). There's a loooong lineup of potential white knights who might be willing to rescue DJ from the throes of those meanies at News Corp. (At last check, the DJ union is hanging its hopes on 50 cent and Ludacris; L.A. Observed is said to be next on the list.) Pearson's interest is not surprising (who would want to compete with a money-infused Dow Jones?), but the Journal story cites sources as saying that a full-fledged offer is considered a longshot.