• by Melynda Fuller , March 6, 2019

In an internal memo on Tuesday, Wall Street Journal editor Matt Murray and editor of newsroom strategy Louise Story announced a massive addition to the outlet’s newsroom: more than 36 new hires, including developers, designers, product managers, data specialists and journalists.

Posted at Talking Biz News, Murray and Story wrote in the memo: “We are in need of several entrepreneurial leaders excited to forge ahead with change. And, importantly, for all of the positions, we’re seeking applicants with a journalistic sensibility and background, applicants who recognize and celebrate our already strong journalism and will be able to help us do more of it ..."

Per the memo, new reporters will sit with “team members of many different skill sets.”

The new hires will work across five areas that include:

• young audiences, a multidisciplinary department focused on emergent audiences that will expand the outlet’s success with its college subscriber audience, creating new story formats and continuing create traditional content
• membership engagement, a department focused on content-practice initiatives to grow member engagement 
• newsroom innovation, which will “sort through, prioritize and execute” on ideas contributed to the outlet’s newsroom Idea Portal and will also build new features that meet the needs of other new teams
• audience data, a team that will have a laser focus on data anaytics and develip new metrics, audience segments and insights, while also developing predictive models to tailor experiences to specific user groups. This department will also partner with the technology division of Dow Jones
• R&D, an existing team led by chief of research & development Francesco Marconi

The memo continued: “All of these changes are central to our strategy: We will continue to be a must-read in our traditional coverage areas, while branching into new areas and reaching new audiences.”