WSJ promotes Cherney and Johnson

Wall Street Journal editor in chief Matt Murray sent out the following on Monday:

Dear All,

I’m pleased to announce a pair of moves in news coverage that will strengthen our leadership and bolster our ambitious news-gathering, audience engagement and editing across all our platforms.

Elena Cherney, who ably stepped into a new role overseeing our news coverage chiefs during the pandemic, will take on the title of Chief News Editor. This move better reflects the main focus of her role, which is to work with all the news coverage chiefs and have prime responsibility for driving our daily agenda, working closely with me, Jason and Neal. The news coverage chiefs continue to report to Elena and to work with her to ensure that we are owning the news moment and delivering authoritative and ambitious coverage across all of our platforms. Elena continues to report to me.

Kimberly Johnson is taking on a new role as Deputy Chief News Editor, while retaining her title as Coverage Chief for Speed & Trending. In her new and expanded role, reporting to Elena, Kimberly will continue to oversee the S&T team while playing a key role helping to drive news coverage. Among other benefits, this move will allow S&T to be more fully integrated with all our coverage areas. With Kimberly and S&T taking on a broader mandate, we will be better positioned as a newsroom to respond to more stories quickly. We expect to be adding some jobs to the team as well to boost output and hours.

Kimberly of course brings sharp news judgment and deep knowledge of business, and has a record of building and leading teams across the newsroom. She has built Speed & Trending into a formidable force that jumps on a wide array of stories and has widened the scope of topics we write about. Before taking on the S&T role, Kimberly was Professional Products Editor, where she added three new verticals to the Journal’s lineup for business and finance professionals. While running Pro, she helped conceive and lead the project exploring the legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a Pulitzer finalist earlier this year.

Before joining the Journal in 2014 as news editor for CFO Journal, Kimberly covered financial activity in sub-Saharan Africa for various publications. She also has covered the auto industry for the Associated Press in Detroit, and has worked at the Denver Post, New Haven Register, Boston Globe and CNN. A native of Flushing, Queens, she holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism from Boston University. She and her wife live on the Upper West Side.

Elena has had two stints at the Journal, as a reporter early in her career and more recently as a bureau chief and senior editor. She joined the Journal’s Toronto bureau in 2000, covering a wide range of business, finance and general news stories. From 2007 through 2014, she held a series of senior editing roles at Canada’s Globe and Mail, including as editor of its Report on Business, before returning to the Journal to become Canada bureau chief. Elena was born in British Columbia, grew up in Montreal and is a graduate of Yale University. Recently married, she has two college-age children and two stepsons.

As you all know, Kimberly and Elena bring to their new roles a deep understanding of The Journal and our news mission. I’m excited to see how this team, working with our superb coverage chiefs, helps continue to elevate our journalism. Please join me in congratulating them.

– Matt