AllThingsD cutting Dow Jones cord
The tech-news site is striking out after years of operating under the umbrella of Dow Jones, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
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Soon you may need to look in a new place for Uncle Walt.
Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, the co-executive editors of the AllThingsD Web site, are parting ways from owner Dow Jones. The break-up, which was first reported by Fortune, was confirmed Dow Jones in a statement. Dow Jones, which is part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., reportedly will keep hold of the AllThingsD brand, and an official announcement is expected to come later Thursday.
By striking out, Mossberg and Swisher fit a similar mold to former New York Times columnist Nate Silver, who rose to prominence for data-based predictions of national elections with his FiveThirtyEight posts for the Times. Silver, who recently cut ties with the Times to move to ESPN, and Swisher and Mossberg underscore the potential of carving out a popular brand in a particular niche of the news world, an industry that's struggled to come to grips with its readers and advertisers migrating away from print and onto online platforms.
That's presuming AllThingsD can find another shop to set up in. AllThingsD hired an investment bank to court buyers, according to the report, while negotiating a new agreement with Dow Jones ahead of the current pact's expiration at the end of the year.
Updated at 3:35 p.m. PT with Dow Jones' confirmation.