By Kevin McCauley
WSJ HEAVYWEIGHT MURRAY TO PEW
Alan Murray, deputy managing editor and executive editor of online Wall Street Journal, will become president of the Pew Research Center in January. He succeeds Andrew Kohut, who takes on the founding director position.
Murray, who has 30 years of journalism experience including a stint as WSJ D.C. bureau chief, is also responsible for the paper’s conference/video operations as well as MarketWatch.
Donald Kimelman, chair of Pew’s board, said in a statement: “Alan has had an exemplary journalistic career in which he has demonstrated great integrity and a solid commitment to impartiality. He's a highly effective and creative leader. And he has a deep understanding of the digital arena in which the center's future will play out.”
Murray added that “trusted facts are an increasingly rare resource in today's world," and that he’s honored to “lead this gem of an institution into a new era of global growth."
With an annual budget of $33M, Pew employs 130 staffers.
Murray had been in the running to head the Wall Street Journal following its spin-off with other print properties from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
WSJ’s current managing editor Robert Thomson is expected to lead the new publishing company.
PROJO CUTS 23
The Providence Journal said it laid off 23 full-time staffers Nov. 7 in a cost-cutting move that includes five percent of its workforce.
Publisher, president and CEO Howard Sutton cited a "persistent softness" in ad revenue. "It is always difficult to reduce staffing levels through layoffs, but it's necessary to ensure the future of the franchise," he said.
The paper said 16 guild employees out of about 200, as well as seven non-union staffers were let go. |