WSJ puts Journal Reports online

The Wall Street Journal announced Monday the debut of a full digital platform for Journal Reports, the franchise that has offered probing journalism in print for three decades.

The new platform, now called Journal Report, integrates the traditional in-depth features of the print edition with the most experimental and interactive features of digital journalism to build communities and increase conversation around the Report’s coverage.

As part of the new integrated digital platform, Journal Report has assembled an elite group of approximately 100 industry influencers and thought leaders called “The Experts” to generate probing and insightful online dialogue with readers through live blogs and social video, including Google+ Hangouts

“We’re thrilled and humbled to have assembled some of the most respected and talented leaders in the country to anchor the communities and conversations we’ll be building through our new integrated Journal Report platform,” said Larry Rout, Wall Street Journal senior editor who oversees the Reports. “This platform allows us to provide the most optimized and interactive experience to keep our readers as informed as they are engaged.”

In addition to the launch of Journal Report’s digital platform, the print edition, which plans to publish some 60 reports this year as standalone sections in the Journal, has undergone a redesign over the past month featuring new columns and a more graphic-intensive presentation. To provide readers with a fully integrated experience, future print issues will incorporate highlights from the online dialogue generated by the Experts. This new integrated print and digital platform is the latest evolution of the Journal’s ongoing commitment to provide an exclusive forum for readers to engage with the Journal’s extensive network of influencers.

Each Journal Report will fall into one of six verticals – small business, retirement, leadership, energy, health care, and wealth management.