WSJ names head of investigations

Wall Street Journal deputy managing editor Matt Murray and WSJ.com managing editor Rebecca Blumenstein sent out the following announcement on Friday:

“We’re pleased to announce that Scott Thurm will become a senior editor for online journalism and investigations.

“In his new position, Scott will oversee the Journal’s efforts in an area we’re calling ‘structured journalism.’ He will lead the push to develop innovative ways to tell stories using the Web’s ability to showcase and structure data and reporting, both original, web-only stories and online components of print stories. One of the few math majors on the news staff, Scott has tackled sophisticated quantitative issues to produce exclusive corporate and management stories. In his new role, he will continue to tackle reporting projects, as well as work with all of you to harnesss the considerable data online for stories, investigations and projects that build on your own work.

“A focused effort on structured journalism will significantly enhance our journalism online and we expect it to to develop into a major source of scoops and projects for all platforms that helps us redefine our journalistic efforts for the digital age.

“Scott has been the Journal’s management bureau chief since 2005, and helped build the Management area on WSJ.com into a high-traffic destination, a remarkable feat for one of the site’s subscriber-only sections. He was deputy bureau chief of the San Francisco bureau, joining the Journal in 1998 as a tech reporter. Before that, he worked at the San Jose Mercury News, where he won a 1997 Gerald Loeb Award for his coverage of Silicon Valley’s economy and a 1993 Livingston Award. Scott was also part of the team at the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., to win a 1989 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of a fatal bus accident. He will report to Rebecca.”