Nikhil Deogun, one of the most senior South Asians in American newspapers, has moved up the ranks again. After three years as deputy bureau chief of the Washington bureau of The Wall Street Journal, he has been named the editor of the paper's legendary "Money & Investing" section (see WSJ managing editor Paul Steiger's memo below). [Photo on the left, from the SAJA-DC conference in January 2007,is by Preston Merchant.]
Deogun, 38, who was born in Assam, India, and raised in Calcutta, spent his early years at Doon School, before coming to the U.S. to get his B.A. at Muskingum College in Ohio and his master's in journalism from the University of Missouri.
He answered three quick questions from SAJAforum (also read a 2005 JournalismJobs.com interview with Deogun). Post your comments below and we will make sure he seems them.
SAJAforum: Q: Congrats, Nik. Why this move at this time?
DEOGUN: It's a bittersweet move because I have enjoyed every minute of my time in Washington and feel privileged to have been a part of some excellent journalism. Great opportunities are tough to pass up, however, and it made sense to leave after the 2006 congressional elections.
SAJAforum: What are you most proud of about your DC years?
DEOGUN: The most rewarding work was undoubtedly editing some
long-term projects with some of the reporters here. The projects -
which ranged from congressional corruption to unjust prison sentences
to Iraq - stretched me as a journalist and opened my eyes.
SAJAforum: Most young journalists focus their ambition on being
reporters, not editors. You had a very successful run as a reporter
before switching to the editor ranks in 2001. Why did you choose to
make the switch and what advice do you have for younger folks?
DEOGUN: At the time, it was because I had done a number of
corporate beats and I thought it would be interesting to try my hand at
editing and managing a group of reporters. I have thoroughly enjoyed my
editing career but I'd be lying if I didn't say I missed reporting.
There's nothing like the rush of being in the thick of a big story. Advice for younger journalists: this is the most exciting time to be a
reporter so stick with it as long as your desire and your pocketbook
allows.
[ MEMO FROM WSJ MANAGING EDITOR ]
From: Steiger, Paul-E
To: WSJ All News Staff; WSJ Foreign Bureaus - All
Sent: Fri Mar 09 18:28:02 2007
Subject: announcementTo the staff,
I'm delighted to congratulate Dave Kansas on his exciting new job as president of the joint venture announced today by Dow Jones and IAC. I'm also delighted to announce officially that Nikhil Deogun will succeed Dave as Money & Investing editor in New York and that Monica Langley will succeed Nik as a deputy bureau chief in Washington.
All three of these folks are hugely qualified for their new roles. All three also served as Journal interns.
Included in Dave's bio, which you can read on DJ.net, are his successes as editor-in-chief of the Street.com and as author of two books, including "The Wall Street Journal Complete Money & Investing Guidebook." For the Journal he has excelled as a reporter, columnist, tv commentator, deputy managing editor of wsj.com and, over the past four years, leader of the Money & Investing team. He is a native of St. Paul, Minn., and a graduate of Columbia.
Nik has served as a deputy bureau chief in Washington for the last three years. For the three years before that he headed the media, marketing and entertainment reporting group in New York. Nik joined the Journal in 1994 in Atlanta. He covered finance, banking, and beverages and consumer products before moving to New York to report on mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance. Nik grew up in Calcutta, India, coming to the U.S. for college and graduate school, earning a bachelor's
degree from Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio, and a master's in
journalism from the University of Missouri.Monica has been one of Journal's top investigative reporters since she returned to the paper in 1996, breaking exclusive after exclusive about such high-profile companies as General Motors, Citigroup, and American International Group. She first joined the Journal in 1983 in New York, after earning a journalism degree at the University of Tennessee and a law degree from Georgetown. After covering telecommunications for a year, she moved to Washington, reporting on banking, savings & loans,
Congress and politics. She was named a news editor earlier this year. Monica left the Journal in 1989 and returned to her native Tennessee, spending seven years as a partner in a corporate-law firm. She has also been an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law, the University of Maryland and Columbia's journalism school. She is a member of the District of Columbia, Tennessee and U.S. Supreme Court bars. Monica is the author of "Tearing Down the Walls: How Sandy Weill Fought His Way to the Top of the Financial World - and Then Nearly Lost It All," published by Simon & Schuster/WSJ Books in 2002.Dave will move into his new role next week. Nik and Monica will assume their new posts as swiftly as possible thereafter. I've asked Deputy Money & Investing Editor Phil Kuntz to run the team as he has so ably done before in Dave's absence and then help Nik manage the transition. I expect to announce a major new assignment for Phil shortly.
Please join me in wishing Dave, Nik and Monica every success in their new positions.
Best regards,
Paul Steiger
Please post your comments below - we will make sure Deogun seen them.
