WSJ launches German language site

Dow Jones & Co.  launched The Wall Street Journal Deutschland, a German-language news site with mobile and tablet editions, on Tuesday.

WSJ.de is the most recent in a series of digital initiatives launched by the Journal.  Other regionally focused offerings, including several local language editions, are available in regions including China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe.

WSJ.de expands Dow Jones’ presence in Germany and provides its German-speaking audience with a unique offering of global news combined with locally focused coverage.

“Germany needs to know more about the world and the world needs to be better informed about Germany,” said Robert Thomson, editor-in-chief of Dow Jones & Co. and managing editor of The Journal, in a statement. “The country is entering a period of unprecedented economic and financial challenges, and its role on the European and world stage will be crucial over the coming years. Germany and its companies are dependent on the global market for growth, and our aim is to provide a flow of news and analysis that will enable German businesses and professionals to make better informed decisions.”

WSJ.de features a mix of free and subscriber-only content from the Journal and across Dow Jones, as well as news and analysis provided by a team of local journalists based in Frankfurt, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Munich.

Knut Engelmann, who has been appointed as managing editor, Germany, for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal Deutschland, oversees a combined news operation serving both newswires and the German-language digital products.  Ralf Drescher will join as the site’s editor in March, having worked in a variety of roles at Handelsblatt for the past 10 years.