Source: Wall Street Journal managing editor stepping down

NEW YORK — The top editor of The Wall Street Journal is planning to step down after less than a year on the job and four months after the paper was taken over by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., according to a person familiar with the situation.

The reasons for Marcus Brauchli's departure weren't immediately clear, but Time magazine's Web site, which first reported the news late Monday, said Brauchli had tried to find a "middle path" between the paper's old guard and Murdoch's new vision for the paper.

Time said the departure could be announced as early as Tuesday.

The person familiar with the situation, who asked not to be named since the decision had not yet been made public, said Brauchli was expected to stay on with the company in a yet-to-be-determined role.

Robert Thomson, whom Murdoch named publisher of the Journal in December, may take over as interim managing editor, the Journal reported on its Web site, citing people familiar with the situation.

Wall Street Journal spokesman Robert Christie declined to comment, as did News Corp. spokeswoman Teri Everett.

Brauchli formally took the reins last May, shortly after News Corp.'s $5 billion bid to acquire the Journal's parent company Dow Jones & Co. became public.

Murdoch succeeded in buying Dow Jones only after an extended campaign to win over the fractious Bancroft family, Dow Jones' former controlling shareholders, some of whom expressed concerns about preserving the Journal's editorial quality and independence.

News Corp. eventually agreed to create an editorial oversight board that would have to sign off on the appointment or removal of the managing editor or other top editorial roles.

Murdoch has said he wants to position the Journal as more of a direct competitor to The New York Times for readers and advertising dollars.

The paper has shown clear signs of evolving in the few months Murdoch has owned it, putting a greater emphasis on political news, adding a regular sports page, and reformatting the front page from five columns to six.

On Monday, the paper also announced changes to its opinion section including the addition of a third page to allow for more regular columnists and opinion articles. Former Journal publisher Gordon Crovitz's column, which will deal with technology issues, debuted Monday.

Brauchli, 46, was named managing editor in April 2007 and formally assumed the role in May, replacing Paul Steiger, who led the paper since 1991.

Brauchli had been a foreign correspondent for most of his more than two decades at the paper. As deputy managing editor under Steiger, he oversaw the Journal's 2005 redesign, which trimmed its width in a move to cut printing costs by $20 million a year.

The managing editor is the top news executive at the Journal, reporting to Thomson, who oversees all editorial operations at Dow Jones. Thomson had formerly been editor of Murdoch's The Times of London.

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Wall Street Journal M.E. to resign

TIME

Wed Apr 23

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