Was Brauchli still having fun?

John Koblin of the New York Observer recounts a meeting that Wall Street Journal managing editor Marcus Brauchli had recently with the paper’s San Francisco bureau that spoke volumes about his mood, which led to his resignation on Tuesday.

Koblin writes, “On a trip to the San Francisco bureau on April 16, the low-key but normally charismatic Mr. Brauchli looked dour, his face drawn. The questions thrown at him were tense: What’s going to happen to the ‘A-hed,’ those offbeat Page One stories about things like aging pets and farming neighbors? Was the paper to be front-loaded with general stories about San Francisco politics, or did they still want to hear every mouse click coming out of Cupertino? Does Rupert Murdoch care about Pulitzers?

“Finally, as a way to ease the tension, Robert Guth, the paper’s Microsoft reporter, tried to change tack.

“‘Are you having fun?’ Mr. Guth asked, according to people present.

“Mr. Brauchli appeared distracted—he was looking around the room, scrolling through his BlackBerry, and the question seemed to stop him cold.”

Read more here.