Marcus Brauchli

The rumors are running wild in D.C. that sometime later this week, Post editor Leonard Downie will take a buyout and step down. A short-list of candidates is making its way around, and Michael Calderone at Politico sizes it up.  read more »

Rupert Murdoch was standing in a deep corner of the Rose Hall at about 7:30 p.m. last night to toast his fellow influencers: It was the Time 100 celebration, an event that drums up publicity for the magazine's decreasingly influential list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

The day before, Mr. Murdoch had promised investors and reporters listening in on a News Corp. investors' call that he'd prevail in his purchase of Newsday over rival bidders Mort Zuckerman and the Dolans.  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 »

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 »

Portfolio's Jeff Bercovici talks with Jane Cox MacElree, a member of the Bancroft family who didn't mince words about the firing of The Wall Street Journal managing editor, Marcus Brauchli:

This is why I was not in favor of selling the paper to that man. Words mean nothing to him, unless they're his... It's over and done with, and there's no point in going on about it, in my opinion... I just feel bad for Marcus.

Lose an editor; gain a media property. John Koblin details every maneuver in one very busy week for Rupert Murdoch. This piece has everything: The Wall Street Journal, Marcus Brauchli, Newsday, The New York Times, and Arthur Sulzberger, Jr.  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 »

Marcus Brauchli, the managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, is out, Time magazine is reporting. The departure is expected to be announced tomorrow. A spokesman for the paper declined to comment to Media Mob tonight. We'll have plenty more tomorrow.

The Wall Street Journal is organizing reporters into two news desks. One desk will consist of general news for the paper's newly organized A section—it'll include religion, science and foreign news—which sounds an awful like the A-section of The New York Times. The other desk will be the bread and butter of classic Journal reporting on corporate and business news. Romenesko has the memo, and in part, here's what Marcus Brauchli had to say:  read more »

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 »

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 »

Actually, hold up. For four months now, it's been accepted that the Journal's new glossy how-to-spend-it magazine would be named Pursuits and it would be a monthly (Dow Jones said it, the Times reported it, so did we)  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.

The Observer reported yesterday on editorial page editor Paul Gigot's scoop about Karl Rove’s resignation, buried on page A15.

Since The Journal did not run a reported story at the time, there is a piece today out of the Washington D.C. bureau, co-written by John D. McKinnon and Jackie Calmes. (Oddly, it doesn't jump off Page 1).

When reached by phone, Ms. Calme said that she was given no forewarning from Journal higher-ups about the contents of Mr. Gigot’s interview, and discovered the news the same time as the competition—in the early morning hours on August 13. Of course, Mr. Rove spread the news to Mr. Gigot two days earlier.

So did Mr. Rove give the scoop to The Journal’s editorial page with an embargo not to leak it to the other side of the editorial/ news divide?

Managing editor Marcus Brauchli has not returned emails or calls seeking comment. Mr. Gigot has declined to comment.

But Peter Baker, the Washington Post’s White House correspondent, expressed his theory in an online Q&A. (Thanks FishbowlDC).

“Rove obviously crafted his own departure strategy, starting with a mostly sympathetic ear in Paul Gigot, the editorial page editor of the Journal,” Mr. Baker wrote. “Gigot got the scoop and wrote a piece that let Rove largely frame his decision on his terms. It's a little unusual to do it that way, but I suppose not entirely surprising. It certainly made for an early morning since the Journal email came out around 4:45 a.m."

Quite early for the Journal’s own reporters, too.

The empty real estate near the top of the Wall Street Journal masthead got some new tenants yesterday, as five editors were bumped up the org chart. The moves fill spaces left by departed deputy managing editors Stephen Adler, Joanne Lipman, and Byron Calame.

Adler and Lipman's departures--for Business Week and Conde Nast--had left Marcus Brauchli the perceived frontrunner to replace managing editor Paul Steiger when he reaches retirement age in two years. In apparent affirmation, Steiger has upgraded him to deputy managing editor.

Steiger's memo follows:

I'm pleased to announce the appointment of Dan Hertzberg as senior deputy managing editor and of Alix Freedman, Marcus Brauchli, Edward Felsenthal and Raju Narisetti as deputy managing editors.

These appointments ratify the expanded responsibilities that all five have already taken on during the past year.

Dan will continue to be responsible for the U.S. bureaus and news and page desks, and to take charge in my absence.

Alix will continue to direct our final reading and other programs to assure that the paper is as accurate and fair as we can make it. In addition, she will lead a small group of top editors to accelerate our progress toward a higher proportion of exclusive and analytical coverage.

Marcus will continue to direct the global news desk, maximizing the quality of all our global editions and increasing the cooperation, collaboration and integration on news coverage between the print Journals and our online and wire affiliates. Edward will continue to oversee the Personal Journal, Weekend Journal, and Pursuits sections and their staffs, to focus on efforts to continue the success of Weekend Edition, and to seek other ways to extend the Journal franchise.

Raju, based in Brussels, will continue to direct all Journal reporting teams and coverage from Europe and the Middle East and to serve as editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe. John Bussey, based in Hong Kong and currently a deputy managing editor, will continue to direct all Journal reporting teams and coverage from Asia and Latin America and to serve as editor of The Wall Street Journal Asia.

Please join me in wishing Dan, Alix, Marcus, Edward, Raju and John every success in their assignments.  read more »

Best regards, Paul Steiger