'Journalistic excellence paramount' in the new Reuters

The re-organisation, which sees the editorial and media departments merged as one business unit on 1 January under Adler’s direction, “is designed to enhance the creation and marketing of world-class journalism that targets our customers’ needs and fully complies with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles,” he said in a message to staff.

“With our editorial and Media-business operations combined, our goals will be to provide ever-greater value to Financial & Risk and our other professional businesses, to bolster our powerful global brand and to increase revenue from our News Agency and direct-to-consumer products.”

Adler said news independence is inviolate under the new structure “and as editor-in-chief I will stay firmly committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias — values that the Trust Principles require and that Thomson Reuters enthusiastically endorses”.

A new feature of the integrated Reuters will be the role of a chief commercial officer, yet to be appointed, who will guide the commercial arm of the entire Reuters operation working closely with people in the financial & risk division and Thomson Reuters’ other businesses.

Among positions reporting to the CCO on the organisation chart, below, will be:

• Managing director, news agency – Steven Schwartz, currently global head, media strategy, marketing and business development
• Global head, commercial news strategy for financial & risk – Andrew Meagher, currently head of editorial assets at Thomson Reuters global resources.

They will report to Adler until a CCO is found. Also reporting to Adler in the new structure are:

• Managing editor – Paul Ingrassia, currently deputy editor-in-chief, who will take on expanded duties to be announced after 1 January
• Chief operation officer – Stuart Karle, the incumbent, who will also assume additional responsibilities to be announced in early January
• Managing director and editor, consumer news – Chrystia Freeland, currently editor, Thomson Reuters digital. She will be responsible for editorial, product, sales and design of digital and mobile news properties, all of which will be re-launched in 2013
• Chief financial officer – to be announced soon
• Global head, human resources – Sara Birmingham, the incumbent
• Global head, communications – Barb Burg, the incumbent
• Global head, ethics and standards – Alix Freedman, who had editorial responsibility for ethics and standards in the previous structure.