WSJ Firing 50 Editors, Hiring 95 Reporters
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James Joyner | Wednesday, July 16, 2008 |
David Kaplan reports on a big shake-up at Wall Street Journal:
WSJ is cutting 50 editorial positions as it moves to reform editing functions across print, online and mobile, according to a staff memo written by Robert Thomson, the News Corp (NYSE: NWS). paper’s managing editor. The Global News, Global Copy, Global Pagination, Monitor and the stand alone WSJ.com editing desks “will cease to exist” as the separation between those areas are taken down. The New York offices will be the central editing hub and most of the editorial operations in South Brunswick will be closed.
Peter Kafka points out that this “move has been telegraphed for many months.”
At his D Conference in late May, for instance, Murdoch expressed amazement that each piece of WSJ copy is touched by an average of 8.3 people before it gets into print: “That’s ridiculous”. That average is almost certainly going to shrink now.
Indeed. My boss is a former senior editor at the Journal and he speaks with reverence for the paper’s high editorial standards. There’s something to be said for having layers of editors going through copy to improve the writing, ask the right questions, and generally provide seasoned input. Maybe 8.3 hands are too many, though.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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Hiring reporters sounds promising. I let my WSJ subscription lapse last fall before Rupee took over. They have always had great reportage. Hopefully some of those editors being fired are at the op-ed desk--that section of the paper was essentially worthless.
The main thing I miss from the WSJ is Eric Felten's column on mixed drinks every Saturday. I hope he's still around.
Man, I would hate to be the .3
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