The Wall Street Journal

John Koblin does a post-Murdoch Wall Street Journal roll call of all those writers and editors who've left and says, "it’s fair to say The Journal hasn’t experienced anything quite like this, well, ever." Plus: The Los Angeles Times' Patrick Goldstein launches a blog.

Felix Gillette wonders who will be replacing Tim Russert as NBC's Washington D.C. Bureau Chief. Whoever fills that role "must continuously grapple with producers in New York to make sure his reporters get plenty of airtime on the morning and evening newscasts."

Leon Neyfakh tells the tale of Reif Larsen, a "28-year-old Columbia M.F.A. student [who] wrote a novel about a whimsical child from Montana who likes maps, and suddenly all kinds of famous editors in New York were calling his agent, Denise Shannon, and telling her they really wanted to publish it.  read more »

Last week, The Wall Street Journal’s managing editor, Robert Thomson, announced sweeping masthead changes—new people have been added, some familiar names dumped.

Laurie Hays, former deputy managing editor, is off to Bloomberg; Bill Grueskin, another deputy managing editor, is packing away for Morningside Heights and semi-retirement at the journalism school at Columbia University.

Other people left, too. Earlier this month, The Journal’s formidable Federal Reserve reporter, Gregory Ip, said that he was leaving for The Economist; a special writer from the San Francisco bureau, Rebecca Beckman, said she was leaving for Forbes.  read more »

This morning in a classroom at the CUNY School of Journalism, Robert Thomson gave his first public speech as managing editor of The Wall Street Journal at a kick-off event for a conference for South Asian Journalists Association.

In Mr. Thomson’s remarks, and in a question-and-answer session that followed, he said The Journal would most likely move to News Corp.’s headquarters next spring, wsj.com would be redesigned in the fall and that, yes, The Journal is still a business paper.

“Is The Wall Street Journal a business newspaper? Of course it is. The first thing we did was increase the international coverage.  read more »

There's a big shake-up at The Wall Street Journal! There are new masthead additions, and revised roles for others.

Robert Thomson sent out a newsroom-wide memo this afternoon announcing that Mike Miller, currently a deputy managing editor at the paper, will become his No. 2. Thomson writes that he "will be responsible for editing the paper if I am otherwise engaged."

There are three new deputy managing editors. Nik Deogun, currently the Money & Investing editor, will become the international editor, while Matt Murray becomes national editor. Mike Williams, already a Page One editor, will retain his role.

Noticably absent from the memo is John Bussey, Washington bureau chief, who was reportedly a leading candidate to replace Marcus Brauchli.  read more »

On Paper Cuts, The New York Times' book blog, Barry Gewen writes about Mark Bowden's recent Atlantic article about Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of The Wall Street Journal and his desire to kneecap the paper of record.

Mr. Gewen, you may recall, revealed the inner-workings of The Times Book Review at Harvard last year. Among his revelations: the names and roles of several NYTBR editors, how they choose what books to review, and some intramural gripes like "the magazine pays the salaries of all the rest of us. It makes money hand over fist. And you can see it in the physical plan.  read more »

Two weeks after Robert Thomson took over as editor of the Wall Street Journal, the first masthead editor is leaving the paper. Bill Grueskin, one of the paper's five deputy managing editors, is leaving the Journal behind for a job working directly under Nicholas Lemann at the Columbia Journalism School.

Sources at the paper said it was Mr. Grueskin who wanted to undergo an investigative piece to report why Marcus Brauchli suddenly resigned from the paper. Just over a month later, Mr. Grueskin is gone too.  read more »

Rupert Murdoch spoke at The D Conference this week, and laid out more non-specific but interesting plans for The Journal.

For months, it's been speculated that Murdoch cares more about figuring out the actual structure of the paper, and then he'll get down to the dirty business of assigning the right reporters to the right assignements, and signing a few superstars.  read more »

The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones are less than a year away from moving their editorial departments to midtown. Dow Jones CEO Les Hinton said that the whole thing is pretty "fluid" but it's likely that the Journal--and the Dow Jones news wires--will pack their bags for the News. Corp castle at 1211 Avenue of the Americas by February or March of next year.  read more »

We just spoke to Tom Bray, the de facto spokesman of the Wall Street Journal's special committee for independence that has approval rights over new announcements for a managing editor.

"We approved it today," he said.

He said that Mr. Thomson was approved by the committee unanimously and that it was a rolling vote conducted by e-mail and conference call. Mr. Thomson could have been approved with a majority 3-2 for the five-person committee.

He said that the committee was first informed about Mr. Thomson "over a week ago."  read more »

We just caught up with Robert Thomson, who, it was just announced, will be the newspaper's next managing editor, on the phone. "I feel privileged," he said. "I'm looking forward with much excitement to making the Journal, and its news wires, which is the greatest news organization in the world, even greater."

He will move down to the newsroom's ninth floor tomorrow, and will take over chief editing duties over the paper immediately.  read more »

Two nights ago, Rupert Murdoch told The Observer that he went "a little too far" by declaring that his purchase of Newsday was a certainty, which he boldly told reporters and investors earlier in the week. This afternoon, he has withdrawn his offer.  read more »

For the past two weeks, Robert Thomson, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, has been busy not being the paper’s editor.

It hasn’t been easy. Since April 22, when Marcus Brauchli resigned as the newspaper’s managing editor, Mr. Thomson, who was forced to describe himself in an interview with The New York Times as the interim “head of content” for the paper, has had nine meetings (in person and on conference calls) to soothe the fraying nerves of his orphaned editorial staff.

“There was a real panic here for a few days when Marcus left,” said one reporter.  read more »

When Robert Thomson met with the reporters and editors of the Wall Street Journal's Money & Investing desk last week, he wasn't shy about at least one thing he planned to tear up from the old regime.

Namely, the plot to institute "Journal 3.0" that was put forward by former publisher Gordon Crovitz.

The initiative was meant to populate the front page with more "what-it-means" stories, on the assumption that like The New Yorker, the Journal would not become a first-read for straight national news.  read more »

Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the original CNBC report that Rupert Murdoch was interested in buying Dow Jones at $60 per share. And one year later, nothing seems to have calmed down at the Wall Street Journal.  read more »

Given more time, Thomas Bray, one of the members of the special committee to oversee editorial independence at the Journal, would have liked to question Marcus Brauchli. There are two stories today: one in the Journal, and the other in the Times, airing the committee's grievances, but those complaints amount to little.  read more »

The Times has a mini-profile of Journal publisher Robert Thomson this morning. Here's what we learned:  read more »

And how was your day? If you're a media critic or reporter, it was anything but slow.

Starting last night when "Time Reporters" broke the news that Wall Street Journal managing editor Marcus Brauchli would be leaving the paper followed closely by The Wall Street Journal's Merissa Marr reporting Sam Zell's Tribune Co. was "closing in on an agreement to sell its Long Island newspaper Newsday" to her paper's parent company, News Corp., this was a day of constant scoops and fast (sometimes loose) seat-of-the-pants analysis.  read more »

Moments after Dow Jones sent out a press release announcing the departure of Wall Street Journal managing editor Marcus Brauchli, the following note went out to all staff on his behalf:

To the Staff:

A year ago, I was appointed managing editor, and we set off together on a great journey. We faced uncertainty about our ownership, inclement conditions in our industry and consensus that change was necessary. And so we chose a path of transformation.  read more »

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The deal has apparently been struck between outgoing Wall Street Journal managing editor Marcus Brauchli and his News Corp. overlord, Rupert Murdoch. This press release just came in:

Marcus Brauchli Steps Down as Managing Editor of The Wall Street Journal

Accepts Position as Consultant to News Corporation  read more »

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Media Mob has learned that Washington lawyer and champion Beltway book broker Robert Barnett is representing soon-to-be-former Wall Street Journal managing editor Marcus Brauchli in his severance-package negotiations with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

Mr. Barnett has, in the last year, brokered massive book deals for political heavyweights Karl Rove, Ted Kennedy, and Tony Blair.

They're working fast: the terms of Mr. Brauchli's departure from the Journal, which presumably depend upon his agreement, could be announced formally by News Corp. as soon as this afternoon, according to our sources at the paper.

So how's that editorial independence board for The Wall Street Journal doing? And will they do anything about Marcus Brauchli's departure?

"I'm really not going to comment on any of it," said Tom Bray, one of the five members of the committee and the de facto spokesman.

When asked if the board has met, he said that it has, but refused to speak about whether they had any say--or any knowledge--about Marcus Brauchli's departure.  read more »

The Wall Street Journal reports today that after Marcus Brauchli formally announces his resignation—which could happen later today—he'll be replaced on an interim basis by publisher Robert Thomson. Thereafter, a search for a full-time replacement "would begin shortly, with candidates coming from both inside and outside the paper." The Journal also reports that Mr. Brauchli would stay on with Dow Jones either as a "consultant or an executive."  read more »

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sam Zell's Newsday is close to being sold to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. for $580 million. The story is sourced to people familiar with the situation, and that both parties "have informally agreed on key aspects, including the price, structure and governance."  read more »

Newsweek gives big play this week to Rupert Murdoch's early maneuvers at The Wall Street Journal. Point: He's the general who has declared war on The New York Times.

This is something we've been talking about around here for a while now, and rumors of war aside, we haven't quite heard the first shot around here.

That doesn't change much with this week's story, but there's still lots of juice here.

Here are the highlights:  read more »

When The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site on April 9 that “barring a change” Katie Couric and CBS News were “likely” to part ways and that it “could” happen after the election (those are just the qualifiers from its headline and subhead), Matthew Drudge picked it up quick as lightning on the Drudge Report.

After a few hours, the story, sourced to “people close to Couric” and executives, was taken out from behind a paid firewall, and WSJ.com watched the traffic—“definitely” one of its biggest hits of the month—roll in.  read more »

Filling out the rumors floated in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, today the New York Times reports that a “wide-ranging discussion” about Katie Couric’s future took place among CBS executives back in February:

 read more »

Reporter James Bandler is leaving The Wall Street Journal for Fortune Magazine, Media Mob has learned. Mr. Bandler was a part of the team of Journal reporters that won the public service Pulitzer last year for stories on an investigation into backdated stock options for business executives. Mr. Bandler was also a critic of Rupert Murdoch, and was one of several reporters who wrote a letter to the Bancrofts pleading that the family not sell the paper.

On Thursday, Wall Street Journal staffers received a memo from managing editor Marcus Brauchli and books director Roe D'Angelo announcing a new book-leave policy.

It seemed simple enough: if reporters want to write a book they need to inform editors ahead of time; the paper can start providing some marketing help—all pretty pro forma stuff. Mr. Brauchli wrote that the change allows the paper to "protect our interests in books based on Journal reporting."  read more »

Tara Parker-Pope, who blogs about health and writes a health column for The New York Times, has sold an advice book on healthy marriages to Dutton, Publisher's Weekly reports.  read more »

David Carr tackles the changing Wall Street Journal this morning and writes about the paper's sudden infactuation with politics. Journal managing editor Marcus Brauchli concedes to Mr. Carr that there have been more political stories this year, but that's because it's such an extraordinary year (simple enough). But Mr. Brauchli also offered this interesting quote:  read more »

The world was ready for cries of “What fresh hell is this!” from The Wall Street Journal when news broke this week that Rupert Murdoch was planning to move his newest acquisition into his 45-story tower at Sixth Avenue and 48th street, the Death Star of the News Corp. enterprise.

“Are you kidding?” rasped Journal editorial-board member and Pulitzer-winner Dorothy Rabinowitz when we called to collect the requisite fond farewells to the neighborhood that has been home to The Journal for more than a century.  read more »

What will it mean for the Financial District if its paper of record moves far away from Wall Street?  read more »

News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch wants to move his recently purchased Wall Street Journal out of Manhattan's financial district by the end of the year.

Mr. Murdoch is proposing that the Journal newsroom move out of its home at the World Financial Center adjacent to the World Trade Center site and into his News Corp. headquarters in the "canyon" on Sixth Avenue, according to newsroom sources.  read more »

Let the speculation begin. The Wall Street Journal announced this morning that it is removing the paid firewall on its web site for its opinion and editorial content, which raises an obvious but pressing question: How far is Rupert Murdoch from turning the entire web site free?  read more »

In addition to speaking to the Wall Street Journal newsroom, Rupert Murdoch also found time to sit down with Fox's Neal Cavuto yesterday, after the News Corp. chief's bid to take over Dow Jones was offically approved by shareholders.

The Huffington Post has picked out some choice excerpts from the conversation, a few of which follow after the jump...  read more »

Dow Jones shareholders said yes to a $60-per-share bid from Rupert Murdoch this morning at the Marriott on West Street in the Financial District.

The Wall Street Journal will formally become Mr. Murdoch's later today.

As has been noted, the wsj.com holiday bash is going to be a shoestring affair.

And even with the new boss in town, the newsroom holiday party will be a low-budget affair too. Though, Paul Steiger is donating $100 for it.

The invite, after the jump...  read more »

For a little over a month, The Wall Street Journal has been in a quiet feud with the cable business channel CNBC—and it’s not because the Journal’s parent company is about to get a new stepdad in News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch.

In early November, the fashion house Estée Lauder offered the Journal and Women’s Wear Daily an advance tip that the lagging company’s chief executive, William Lauder, planned to relinquish his title within two years, under pressure from investors.  read more »

Yesterday at The Wall Street Journal, there were resignation announcements, multi-million dollar severance packages, and plans for trans-atlantic trips. And over the next few months, the shakeup is likely to continue.  read more »

After less than two years on the job—and just a week before Rupert Murdoch takes formal control of Dow Jones—the company's CEO Richard Zannino has resigned.

"Dow Jones is about to begin a new chapter," Mr. Zannino said in a statement. "Dow Jones fits perfectly into News Corp., and Rupert and I have been discussing since September my moving on from the company after the closing."

In a press release put out this afternoon, the company said: "News Corporation will be announcing Zannino's successor shortly. Mr. Zannino will assist in the transition."  read more »

The Guardian is reporting that the board of The Times of London is set to meet next week and appoint a new editor replacing Robert Thomson. One executive told The Guardian the appointment of a new editor would happen "by the end of next week."

Next Thursday, Rupert Murdoch will be in full control of The Wall Street Journal and Mr. Thomson has long been mentioned as the potential next publisher of the paper since News Corp announced its takeover bid. If Mr. Thomson is replaced as an editor in London then everything seems perfectly timed for a quick move to the World Financial Center.  read more »

The Wall Street Journal has made another move to beef up its Washington bureau. Gorkana, excerpted by Fishbowl DC, reports:

Joe White, Detroit Bureau Chief at The Wall Street Journal, will be joining the Washington Bureau as a Senior Editor, overseeing a team of reporters covering energy, the environment, transportation and certain other areas of regulation. He joins Jonathan Kaufman who has also recently been made Senior Editor at the bureau.

Other recent recruits to The Journal's Washington coverage include new bureau chief John Bussey, as well as editor Gary Putka. However, last week the paper lost star political writer John Harwod to The Times.

When it came to securing Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal for Manhattan's biggest real estate auction, real estate tycoon Stephen Ross evidently beat Ric Clark to the punch.  read more »

The Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau is set to expand its political coverage.

"Over the next many months, a major chunk of the Journal's coverage agenda will be dominated by an event certain to rock not just the U.S. but the world: the American voter’s choice of new leaders for the nation," DC Bureau Chief John Bussey wrote in a staff e-mail.  read more »

Asked if he thought the group would have any muscle, Louis Boccardi said, “Talk to me in a year.”  read more »

In September, The Observer reported that The Wall Street Journal plans to beef up its Washington coverage--getting a jump on changes that Rupert Murdoch has said he intends to make.

The beefing up appears to have begun. Just in time for the presidential primaries, the paper announced today that, starting Tuesday, it will reinstitute its Capital Journal column, written by Washington executive editor Gerald Seib, which has not run since 2004.

Mr Seib's statement after the jump...  read more »

Add another item to the list of changes that the Murdoch era could usher in for The Wall Street Journal.  read more »

The Observer recently reported that Wall Street Journal editors expect that Rupert Murdoch will soon find a leading role at the paper for one of his most trusted lieutenants, Robert Thomson, who is currently the editor of The Times of London.

Now, The Guardian says the move is all but a done deal. A source identified as a "senior US media executive" tells The Guardian that he is "90 percent certain" that Mr. Murdoch will install Mr. Thomson as the Journal's publisher next year.

Mr. Thomson and Journal managing editor Marcus Brauchli go back a ways -- they got to know each other when both worked as foreign correspondents, for different papers, in Tokyo.

It's looking more and more likely that there could soon be a reunion.

Pursuits won’t launch until next September—though it’s speculated that Rupert Murdoch may try to push up the start date—but already a prototype has been laid out and approved by Mr. Murdoch, according to a knowledgeable Dow Jones source.  read more »