Wall Street Journal adds top jobs in digital push

The Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday it was adding more than a dozen new senior positions in a newsroom revamp to deliver news faster, with more visuals, as readers increasingly rely on smartphones, Reuters reports.

Matt Murray, Deputy Editor in Chief will be promoted to executive editor, and editors for digital content strategy and strategic initiatives will be added, the Journal said in an internal memo to employees reviewed by Reuters. It is also streamlining its editing process, building a newsroom focused on mobile content and promoting diversity.

The total newsroom headcount will remain “roughly stable,” it added.

The reorganization is part of the paper’s WSJ 2020 initiative announced in October by Dow Jones & Co, the News Corp subsidiary that also owns The Wall Street Journal. The Journal, which News Corp Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch bought in 2007, offered all news employees a buyout as part of the plan.

In Wednesday’s memo, Journal Editor in Chief Gerard Baker emphasized the need for more diversity in the newsroom.

“If we are to thrive in the competitive environment newspapers face, we must ensure that we are hiring and promoting the best people,” the memo stated.

In February, Rebecca Blumenstein resigned as deputy editor in chief to join the New York Times as deputy managing editor. Reporters and editors at the Journal signed a letter to Baker and Murray in March voicing concerns about the lack of gender and racial diversity among the staff, according to the letter reviewed by Reuters.

In November, the Journal folded the Greater New York section into another section of the print newspaper and merged other sections like Business & Tech and Money & Investing.

News Corp reported a 5.1 percent increase in third-quarter advertising revenue, partially offset by weak print advertising.