NEW YORK (MAY 20, 2008) –
Robert Thomson has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of Dow Jones and managing
editor of The Wall Street Journal, effective immediately, Rupert
Murdoch, Chairman of Dow Jones & company, announced.
The Dow Jones Special Committee today unanimously endorsed Mr. Thomson’s
appointment following his nomination by the Company last week.
Mr. Murdoch said: “Mr. Thomson’s outstanding career as a financial
journalist, foreign correspondent and editor, equips him perfectly for the
position.”
Les Hinton, Chief Executive Officer of Dow Jones, said: “Robert is the ideal
editor to unlock the vast potential of The Wall Street Journal and
our other Dow Jones brands, both in this country and around the world.”
Mr. Thomson will oversee the news section of The Wall Street Journal
and the editorial operations of Dow Jones News Wires. Neal Lipschutz, News
Wires managing editor, will report to Mr. Thomson. Paul Gigot, Editorial
Page Editor of The Journal, will report to Mr. Hinton, who will
assume Mr. Thomson’s role as Publisher of The Wall Street Journal in
addition to his existing duties.
Robert Thomson was appointed Publisher of Dow Jones in December 2007,
having been Editor of The Times of London since March 2002. Prior to
that he was Managing Editor of the U.S. edition of the Financial Times,
taking responsibility for the FT’s ambitious drive into America,
where the newspaper trebled its sales to almost 150,000 during his four-year
tenure. For his work in developing the FT, in print and online, he
was named U.S. Business Journalist of the Year in 2001. From 1996 to 1998,
he was editor of the Weekend FT, orchestrating a successful redesign
of that paper, which became the fastest-growing newspaper in the U.K. market
during 1997. He has served as a correspondent in Beijing and Tokyo, and
began his career as a copy boy at The Herald, Melbourne, in 1979.
Mr. Thomson’s appointment follows the resignation as managing editor of
Marcus Brauchli. Mr. Brauchli resigned after a meeting with Dow Jones
executives.
Referring to the circumstances of Mr. Brauchli’s resignation, Mr. Hinton
said: “The Company believes it was acting in accordance with the agreement
and had no intention of subverting the role of the Special Committee. In
hindsight, we recognize it would have more been appropriate to have advised
the Committee in advance of reaching an agreement with Mr. Brauchli. We have
apologized to the Committee members and undertaken that in future we will
consult with it and seek approval of the Committee before taking any action
with respect to an editor that could result in a material change in an
editor’s duties, responsibilities or reporting relationships or the
departure of that editor.”
About The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal, the flagship publication of Dow Jones &
Company is the world's leading business publication. Founded in 1889, The
Wall Street Journal has a print and online circulation of more than 2
million, reaching the nation's top business and political leaders, as well
as investors across the country. Holding 33 Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding
journalism, The Wall Street Journal provides readers with trusted
information and knowledge to make better decisions. The Wall Street
Journal print franchise has more than 750 journalists world-wide, part
of the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,900 business and financial news staff.
Other publications that are part of The Wall Street Journal
franchise, with a global audience of 3.8 million, include The Wall Street
Journal Asia and The Wall Street Journal Europe. The Wall Street
Journal Online at WSJ.com is the largest paid subscription news site on
the Web with 10.9 million users each month. In 2008, The Journal was
ranked No. 1 in BtoB's Media Power 50 for the ninth consecutive year. The
Wall Street Journal Radio Network services news and information to more
than 280 radio stations in the U.S.
Contact:
Robert H. Christie
Dow Jones & Company
212-416-2636
Robert.christie@dowjones.com