The Wall Street Journal's Blogger hunt

photo by Sophie Borazanian

Neil McIntosh is to start hiring bloggers and business journalists for the Wall Street Journal Europe edition in the next year, he revealed at a talk with students of the University of Westminster last Thursday.

The outgoing editorial director of the Guardian online becomes the editor of the European edition of WSJ.com, the Wall Street Journal’s website.

“There are only a few jobs left for digital journalism,” Neil McIntosh said. He sees his new job as a “good opportunity to try out new things”.

He dismissed criticism of Rupert Murdoch buying the Wall Street Journal. “I heard nothing but good things,” McIntosh said. He is certain that the Journal’s journalism will not change through the new ownership.

The Journal managing editor, Marcus Brauchli, stepped down due to a shift in the focus of articles, The Wall Street Journal revealed in April. Critical voices claimed that there has been more emphasis on shorter news stories and more general news since Rupert Murdoch owns the paper.

“It is very hard to leave the Guardian,” admitted McIntosh. In his blog, he said it was a privilege to work there, building up blogs and launching the audio and video services.

He worked for the Guardian for more than nine years. It was Neil McIntosh, who started building blogs, one of the most successful parts of the Guardian website. He revealed that the website had half a million page views a month before "comment is free" was launched. More than two years later the page views have increased to ten million.

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Some thoughts about Neil McIntosh and blogging

Today, Neil McIntosh, the editorial director of the Guardian Unlimited, came to our class to play "press conference" with the students. I was very excited about it, as he is working for my favourite news outlet. Actually, he will be leaving that paper in the near future but I will write more on that very soon. To be honest, I cannot believe he is leaving the Guardian. It is my favourite newspaper and I love its editorial standpoint. My biggest dream is to work for the Guardian some day. Mr. McIntosh, if you don't want your job anymore, I would be more than happy to take it.

In his talk Neil McIntosh pointed out the importance of journalist students having a blog. He was saying an regularly updated blog teaches students those tools that they need later in online journalism. Additionally he said, it would be a great way to show what you can do and how motivated you are.

The reason why I started my blog "It's the thought that counts" is because I know that it looks good on my CV. In his blog, Neil McIntosh wrote: "As long as we publish digitally, we will be discussed. Our work will always be social, unless what we produce is so narrow or lacking in interest nobody gives a damn."

No one is discussing my work, Mr. McIntosh. Not even my friends are reading it. I don't think that is because they don't give a damn, to put it in your words. I even posted my articles that were published in magazines. At least the editor gave a damn about them then.

One of my friends recently started a blog and she is telling her readers all about her life regularly. That might include information about what she just watched on the television, whom she kissed last weekend or why she ended up playing strip poker with strangers the other night. People do seem to read her blog and now she is preparing for a podcast because people are so interested in her life. Do I have to talk about my sex life to get people reading my blog?