Murdoch picks first female editor of Wall Street Journal

THE British editor of The Sunday Times has been handed the top job at America’s most prestigious financial news organisation as Rupert Murdoch accelerates his succession plan.

Emma Tucker will become editor-inchief of The Wall Street Journal in February, replacing editor Matt Murray. She is the first woman in the role.

Mr Murray will move into a new senior role at News Corp, reporting to chief executive Robert Thompson.

The reshuffle delivers further crosspollination between Mr Murdoch’s businesses in the US and UK and will fuel ongoing speculation in media circles that Rebekah Brooks, News UK chief executive, is also being lined up for a senior role in New York.

Allies of Mr Murdoch have suggested he was frustrated by The Wall Street Journal’s perceived failure in 2020 to aggressively pursue stories about President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Other outlets were credited with scoops involving a leaked cache of emails.

Mr Thomson said Ms Tucker, who began her career in journalism at the Financial Times before joining the

Murdoch stable in 2007, “will never knowingly be beaten to a scoop”.

The Wall Street Journal is published by Dow Jones, while titles such as The Times and The Sun are overseen by News UK. All fall under the wider News Corp umbrella.

It comes as 91-year-old Mr Murdoch explores a possible merger between News Corp and Fox, the US broadcaster behind Fox News, as he hands control of his empire to eldest son, Lachlan.

The change of role for Ms Tucker, who has led The Sunday Times since 2020, comes as it increasingly shares resources with its sister daily, The Times, to save costs and create a unified digital news service. Ben Taylor, current deputy editor of The Sunday Times,

is said to be frontrunner for the role.

Mr Murray joined Dow Jones in 1994 and led The Wall Street Journal since June 2018. Last year The New York Times

reported he clashed with Almar Latour, chief executive of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, over the paper’s digital strategy. Dow Jones denied there had been friction.

Mr Murdoch bought Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal in 2007 for $5bn (£4bn)