Sarah Ellison reports in her forthcoming book, War at the Wall Street Journal, that Journal owner Rupert Murdoch paid Marcus Brauchli $6.4 million when Brauchli left the paper after a short stint as managing editor; he landed at the WashingtonPost as executive editor a few months later. No one is talking on the record, but from every indication the $6.4 million is accurate.
Why the big payday? Did Murdoch buy Brauchli’s silence? Not so, sources say. Murdoch wanted a new editor, so Brauchli resigned.
The big money came thanks to Washington über-lawyer Robert Barnett and his Williams & Connolly colleague Michael O’Connor, who made Murdoch pay the $6.4 million to buy out Brauchli’s contract.
But this raises another question: Did Barnett help Brauchli get the Post’s executive-editor job?
Barnett and his wife, CBS News correspondent Rita Braver—as well as the Williams & Connolly law firm—have been tight with the Graham family for decades; Post publisher Katharine Weymouth, niece of company CEO Donald Graham, was a lawyer at Williams & Connolly before joining the paper. Barnett and O’Connor did indeed negotiate Brauchli’s employment contract with the Post in 2008, but my sources say Barnett wasn’t the first to bring Brauchli to Weymouth’s attention.
That honor goes to veteran political editor Maralee Schwartz, who is back in the newsroom as an editor on contract after taking a buyout last year. Getting the boss his job apparently is a good career move.
Post Watch: Brauchli’s Cash-Out
Sarah Ellison reports in her forthcoming book, War at the Wall Street Journal, that Journal owner Rupert Murdoch paid Marcus Brauchli $6.4 million when Brauchli left the paper after a short stint as managing editor; he landed at the Washington Post as executive editor a few months later. No one is talking on the record, but from every indication the $6.4 million is accurate.
Why the big payday? Did Murdoch buy Brauchli’s silence? Not so, sources say. Murdoch wanted a new editor, so Brauchli resigned.
The big money came thanks to Washington über-lawyer Robert Barnett and his Williams & Connolly colleague Michael O’Connor, who made Murdoch pay the $6.4 million to buy out Brauchli’s contract.
But this raises another question: Did Barnett help Brauchli get the Post’s executive-editor job?
Barnett and his wife, CBS News correspondent Rita Braver—as well as the Williams & Connolly law firm—have been tight with the Graham family for decades; Post publisher Katharine Weymouth, niece of company CEO Donald Graham, was a lawyer at Williams & Connolly before joining the paper. Barnett and O’Connor did indeed negotiate Brauchli’s employment contract with the Post in 2008, but my sources say Barnett wasn’t the first to bring Brauchli to Weymouth’s attention.
That honor goes to veteran political editor Maralee Schwartz, who is back in the newsroom as an editor on contract after taking a buyout last year. Getting the boss his job apparently is a good career move.
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Party Photos
Most Popular in News & Politics
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
A Cult Classic of Cannabis Brands Is Making Its DC Debut
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
Speaker Johnson’s Megabill Prayers Likely to Be Answered Before Holiday Weekend, Wrongly Deported Maryland Man Faced Abuse in El Salvador Prison, and We Found Some Yummy Nepalese Food
Pardoned J6er Will Join Ed Martin’s Justice Department Office, Trump Outlines Hypothetical Alligator Escape Plan, and We Have Fireworks Show Recommendations
The “World’s Largest Outdoor Museum” Is Coming to DC. Here’s a Preview.
A Cult Classic of Cannabis Brands Is Making Its DC Debut
The Commanders Wine and Dine DC Council Members; GOP Senator Suggests Tax Language Was “Airdropped” Into Spending Bill; and Trump Wants DOGE to Investigate Musk
100 Reasons to Love DC Right Now
How DC’s Attorney General Got So Good at Double Dutch
DC Council Ponders New Way to Expel Trayon White, the GOP’s Budget Bill Advances, and We Found You Some Tacos With Ethiopian Flair