Washington Post Editor Marcus Brauchli Steps Down

Rumors of change had been swirling recently, and on Tuesday The Washington Post  announced that executive editor Marcus Brauchli, who was hired by the paper in 2008, would be stepping down. Martin Baron, current editor of The Boston Globe, was named as his replacement.

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“Marcus has contributed immeasurably in the more than four years he has been at the helm of this newsroom,” said publisher Katharine Weymouth in a statement carried by the Beltway newspaper. “Under his leadership, we have become one newsroom publishing on multiple platforms. We have become known for our ability to create innovative digital products that allow our readers to engage in new ways with some of the best journalism in the world.”

Brauchli, however, isn't leaving the Washington Post Company. He will be a vice president "with responsibility for evaluating new media opportunities," the newspaper reports. In an email to the newsroom published by Poynter, Brauchli touted his emphasis on digital growth during his four and a half years with the paper. 

"We have reorganized, melded and streamlined our news operations, and emerged stronger than we started. That is not, as cynics would have it, simply a function of fewer people doing more, but of awareness that we are responsible for our destiny as never before," he wrote. Brauchli was previously the editor of The Wall Street Journal when media mogul Rupert Murdoch bought the paper along with Dow Jones in 2007.

At the Globe, Baron oversaw a redesign of the newspaper's website and introduction of a paywall to encourage digital subscriptions in 2011. He has been editor of the Boston-based newspaper since 2001. The Globe is currently looking to fill its editor position, and the paper reports that the search will consider outside candidates.

“We’re looking for the right person at the right time to really carry on the quality journalism that’s the embodiment of everything we are doing today,” said Christopher M. Mayer, the Globe’s publisher, in an interview with the newspaper.