Former Murdoch critic says new owner will help WSJ

Tunku Varadarajan, the assistant managing editor of The Wall Street Journal best known for criticizing News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch — the new owner of the paper — earlier in his career in print, now says he thinks Murdoch will be good for the paper.

And least you think Varadarajan is trying to curry favor with his new boss, he’s actually leaving the paper at the end of the month, writes Michael Calderone of the New York Observer.

Calderone wrote, “At the time, Mr. Varadarajan was contacted by The Observer, and has now responded via email: ‘This is NOT—although people have jumped to the conclusion that it is—Murdoch-related.’

“Mr. Varadarajan also wrote that he is excited to return to academia, and will be starting at NYU’s Stern School in mid-October. His last day at the Journal will be September 30th.

“As for the impending Murdoch takeover?

“‘I’m inclined to believe that Rupert Murdoch will be a force for positive change and general non-pomposity at the Journal,’ he wrote.”

Read more here.