WSJ bureau chief in Hong Kong to depart

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

Peter Stein, the Hong Kong bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, has resigned. His last day is Friday.

In an e-mail to the staff, Stein writes:

This is my last week working at The Wall Street Journal. Some of you may scoff that I’m an impetuous job-hopper with commitment issues, exiting after a mere 22 years at the organization. Change beckons, though, and I’m excited to heed the call.

That said, leaving isn’t easy. The Journal has offered me immense opportunity to grow and learn since I began work as an overnight copy editor back in 1989.

I landed a foreign correspondent’s dream job covering Hong Kong’s transition from British to Chinese. I became a managing editor for Asia before I had half the experience or exposure of others on our staff, colleagues who later taught me so much about the region. I ran a bureau of talented journalists covering everything from avian flu to asset bubbles and Aussie-dollar accumulators. I got to write a column, with a dot-drawing picture that didn’t look like me but who cares? I’m thankful they let me get away with it all.

A great perk of working at The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones is the high caliber of your colleagues. I’ll miss sharing all your intellectual and professional camaraderie. But I do look forward to staying in touch with many of you. For those wondering, I’ll be staying in Hong Kong (surprise!) and expect to share my new work details soon.