Major 'Journal' Reorg; Will Be Reflected in Paper

Is The Wall Street Journal getting a business section?

It sounds absurd, given that the Journal is already known primarily for its business and financial coverage, but it appears to be in the cards following a staff reorganization announced this afternoon by managing editor Marcus Brauchli.

"In essence, we'll organize the desk into two parts," wrote Brauchli in a staff-wide memo. "One will focus on general news, from the U.S. and around the world, as well as the economy. The other section of the News Desk will focus on corporate and business news."

Matt Murray, the paper's national editor, will be in charge of the general news coverage, with health and science editor Elyse Tanouye heading up corporate and business news.

Starting soon, that division will be reflected, say Journal sources, in the organization of the paper. It's no secret that Journal management has been mulling an overhaul of section B, Marketplace, ever since Rupert Murdoch took control of the paper last fall. The planned changes recently reported by The New York Times -- fewer features and columns, particularly on the first page of the section -- are part of plan to make Marketplace the home for virtually all hard business stories, freeing up section A for national, international and political news.