Reorganization looming among top editors at WSJ

Jon Fine of BusinessWeek writes Tuesday that new Wall Street Journal managing editor Marcus Brauchli is expected to make a number of changes among the top ranks of the daily business newspaper, and that an announcement could come as early as later this week.

Fine wrote, “Chief among the changes: Daniel Hertzberg—who, as the paper’s senior deputy managing editor, is its second-ranking editor– will head to Europe to edit the Wall Street Journal Europe and possibly take on broader responsibilities. Mike Williams, the current WSJ Europe editor and a rising star at the paper, will return to the U.S. to assume a new high-profile editorial role. In a brief phone conversation, Hertzberg declined to comment. Williams could not be reached.

“Many aspects of Brauchli’s planned changes remain unclear. Adding to the confusion, several top editors at the Journal were huddling at a company offsite at the posh Four Seasons in Scottsdale, Arizona, and were not expected back in the Journal’s New York offices until June 13. Staffers at the Journal have been buzzing about the changes since last week. An announcement from Brauchli, who via email declined to comment on the matter, is expected this week, perhaps as soon as June 13.

“The changes are expected to be Brauchli’s first moves toward remaking the Journal’s storied news operations and, so far, appear to center around high-ranking editors’ assignments.”

Read more here. Of course, this all comes amid the ongoing talks between the Bancroft family, the majority owner of Dow Jones & Co., the Journal’s parent, and News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch to sell the company.