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May 21 2008 7:51AM EDT

Murdoch Throws a Bone to 'WSJ' Committee

The committee charged with protected The Wall Street Journal's editorial independence has some teeth after all, it seems. Small, blunt ones, to be sure. Molars, maybe. But still better than gums.

In a report in the Journal's editorial pages, the five-person body says it gave Rupert Murdoch what he wanted -- its approval of Robert Thomson's appointment as managing editor -- but also got some concessions in return:

News Corp. has also agreed to amendments to the agreement with the Special Committee that reflect these concerns.

Among other things, the amendments make clear that whatever their titles, the individuals who make the key news and editorial decisions at The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires will continue to fall within the provisions of the agreement. The amendments explicitly require timely notification of potential changes and Committee approval before actions are taken that might lead to removal of those who carry out the functions of the managing editor or the editor of the editorial page of the Journal.

As contemplated in the original agreement, the managing editor of the Newswires will now report to the managing editor of the Journal, but a further amendment to the agreement provides that the top editor at the Newswires can still appeal disputes regarding ethical issues to the Committee.

Specifying that it's editorial duties, not titles, that matter is significant because Murdoch used the ambiguity (such as it was) in the original agreement to sidestep its authority by installing Thomson in what had been a business-side job but giving him editorial powers that superseded those of previous managing editor Marcus Brauchli. The "timely notification" part only makes explicit what was already built into the original agreement: that News Corp. can't force someone to quit through constructive termination -- which is what it did to Brauchli. Oh, and about that: the report also notes that Dow Jones CEO Les Hinton apologized to the committee for going over its head in shoving Brauchli out. I promise, baby, it'll never happen again.


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