NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday it is reorganizing its editing ranks to integrate print and online news operations as well as simplify its international news structure.
The changes will deal with what the newspaper called "profound changes sweeping the news business." The Journal is owned by Dow Jones & Co. Inc., whose controlling family is considering whether to sell the company to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. for $5 billion.
"We have been as agile as anyone at adapting to change in recent years," the Journal's managing editor, Marcus Brauchli, said in a statement. "Yet simply to maintain our standing, we must adapt to constant change."
Wall Street Journal Online's managing editor, Bill Grueskin, will become deputy managing editor for news, and Dan Hertzberg, senior deputy managing editor, will become deputy managing editor for international news.
Alan Murray, an assistant managing editor, will oversee online operations, which includes the WSJ.com Web site and the Marketwatch.com financial news Web site.
Deputy Managing Editors John Bussey and Edward Felsenthal are expected to lose their titles, the New York Times reported in its Wednesday edition. Neither returned e-mail messages seeking comment.
Journal Publisher Gordon Crovitz also was not immediately available for comment.
The editors will begin their new roles in July.
The Bancroft family was expected to submit this week a list of proposals to Murdoch that would ensure the editorial independence of Dow Jones's news operations after a sale, according to several media reports.
Some Journal newsroom staff, as well as the Dow Jones employee union, oppose Murdoch's bid because they say he has a history of interfering in news operations in order to bolster his business interests.
Dow Jones shares were down a penny at $59.02 in late morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Murdoch bid $60 per share for the company.
