Murray’s ascension to top spot at WSJ greeted with relief

The appointment of longtime Wall Street Journal staffer Matt Murray to editor in chief of the newspaper was greeted with relief from others in the newsroom who didn’t like outgoing editor Gerard Baker‘s management style, reports Michael Calderone and Jason Schwartz of Politico.

Calderone and Schwartz report, “Nonetheless, it was an emotional moment for a newspaper that has struggled with a staff exodus and lack of confidence in its leadership. The dominant feeling in the Journal newsroom wasn’t Champagne-popping jubilation but relief. The elevation of Murray, a Journal mainstay for almost a quarter century, was greeted favorably among staff after a dramatic past couple years that’s included frustrations over Baker’s perceived unwillingness to go after Donald Trump boiling over publicly, along with high-level departures in New York and a mini-exodus from the Washington bureau.

“Current and former staffers praised the selection of Murray, characterizing the Journal lifer as a steady hand and more affable presence in the newsroom than Baker, who could be seen as aloof.

“‘I think there’s a certain relief here,’ one Journal staffer, who was not authorized to speak publicly, told POLITICO. ‘Matt’s not the lightning rod that Gerry was.’

“Baker’s departure has been in the works for a few months, as News Corp. management has been discreetly looking for a replacement, according to people familiar with the matter. Murray, as second in command, was the most likely internal candidate, though there have long been expectations among current and former staffers that Murdoch would inevitably pluck someone from outside the paper.”

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