NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Wall Street Journal Online today announced enhancements to Washington Wire online (www.washwire.com), a political blog offering insight and analysis from The Wall Street Journal's Capital bureau. Staff writer Amy Schatz will become Washwire.com's lead reporter and writer of campaign news, providing daily updates on campaign activities and a look behind the conventional stories of the day. "Campaign Journal," a new online column from chief political reporter Jackie Calmes, will offer detailed insights about political developments as well as a personal look at how the campaign is unfolding now through Election Day. Mary Lu Carnevale, assistant Washington bureau chief, will oversee the expanded online political coverage, working closely with Alexandra Kaptik, assistant news editor at The Wall Street Journal Online.
Launched on September 20, 1940, Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Originally a weekly column, the report went daily, online, with the launch of Washwire.com in January 2006. More than 40 journalists from the Washington bureau contribute to the Wire.
"Washington Wire's expanded online coverage will spotlight the people, gimmicks and controversies of this fall's crucial congressional elections," said Jerry Seib, Washington bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal. "Frequent posts by Amy Schatz and the DC bureau, combined with the Campaign Journal by veteran Jackie Calmes, ensure that Washwire.com will have a steady stream of incisive and entertaining items as the campaign counts down to November 7."
Added Bill Grueskin, managing editor of WSJ.com: "The new roles that Amy and Jackie are assuming are one more step in the Journal's effort to integrate the talents of top reporters with the immediacy and power of the online medium."
Amy Schatz joined The Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau in 2004; earlier she had served as a news assistant from 1994-1997. She then held reporting roles at The St. Petersburg Times in Florida and the Austin American-Statesman, where she covered technology companies, before returning to the Journal in 2004. Ms. Schatz was winner of the 2005 Eugene S. Pulliam National Journalism Writing Award.
Jackie Calmes has been a national correspondent at The Wall Street Journal since 1990, and currently is the lead political reporter. After six years as a congressional reporter, she served as senior economic correspondent, a White House reporter in the second Clinton and first Bush administrations, a 2000 and 2004 presidential campaign reporter, features editor and writer of the print Journal's weekly Washington Wire column from 2001 through 2004. Earlier she worked at Congressional Quarterly and as congressional correspondent for the Cox Newspapers. From 1979 to 1984, Ms. Calmes covered Texas government and politics in Austin, first for the Harte-Hanks chain of newspapers and then for the Dallas Morning News. Her first job was at the Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News. Ms. Calmes was awarded the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Presidential Reporting in 2004.
About The Wall Street Journal Online
The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, published by Dow Jones & Company (NYSE:DJ) (www.dowjones.com), is the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. Launched in 1996, the Online Journal continues to attract quality subscribers that are at the top of their industries, with 765,000 subscribers world-wide as of Q2, 2006.
The Online Journal provides in-depth business news and financial information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with insight and analysis, including breaking business and technology news and analysis from around the world. It draws on the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,900 business and financial news staff-the largest network of business and financial journalists in the world. The Online Journal also features exclusive content, including interactive graphics on business and world news, and online-only columns about the automotive industry, technology, personal finance and more.
The Online Journal offers three industry-specific verticals: the award-winning Health, Media & Marketing and now Law. Health offers authoritative analysis, breaking news and commentary from top industry journalists. Media & Marketing is designed for professionals in the advertising, marketing, entertainment and media industries. Law is designed to provide law firms and attorneys timely information on events and trends important to the legal market. Subscribers to all also get access to the full content of the Online Journal.
In 2005, the Online Journal was awarded a Codie Award for Best Online News Service for the second consecutive year, and its Health Industry Edition was awarded Best Online Science or Technology Service for the third consecutive year. In 2004, the Online Journal received an EPpy Award for Best Internet Business Service over 1 million monthly visitors.
The Wall Street Journal Online network includes CareerJournal.com, OpinionJournal.com, StartupJournal.com, RealEstateJournal.com and CollegeJournal.com.
The Wall Street Journal "Online" logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2637