Categories: OLD Media Moves

All Things D to split from WSJ; Mossberg to stop writing for paper

Dan Primack of Fortune is reporting that the All Things Digital tech news site that is part of Dow Jones is splitting from the company, meaning that famous tech writer Walt Mossberg will no longer write for The Wall Street Journal.

Primack writes, “Those talks continued throughout the past several weeks, but the two sides ultimately decided to go their separate ways. Not only does that mean AllThingsD will no longer share content and certain advertising functions with Dow Jones, but also that Mossberg will leave his Wall Street Journal column after 20 years (he has been with the paper for a total of four decades).

“So what’s next? Fortune hears that AllThingsD remains in talks with two prospective investors, one of which is Comcast subsidiary NBCUniversal. Other names that have been floated include Bloomberg, Condé Nast, Cox Enterprises and The Washington Post Company.

“So far, however, no final deal has been signed. It is unclear how ATD would finance itself without a large media partner.

“Calls to a Dow Jones spokeswoman have not been returned. Kara Swisher declined comment via email.”

Read more here. An official statement is expected later Thursday.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.