Alan Murray named Pew Research Center president

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Alan Murray, deputy managing editor and executive editor for The Wall Street Journal's online business, has been named president of the Pew Research Center.

The center's board of directors said Friday that Murray will take over in January, succeeding public-opinion expert Andrew Kohut.

Kohut will stay on as founding director and will provide counsel on political polling and global attitudes research.

The Pew Research Center is a Washington-based subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research and performs other work to inform the public, the press and policymakers. It does not take a position on policy issues.

Murray is an award-winning journalist with more than three decades of experience covering politics and economics. Murray has served in numerous roles at The Wall Street Journal, including Washington bureau chief, and currently oversees the newspaper's websites. He is also the author of three books.

"Alan Murray is ideally suited to lead the Pew Research Center in the years ahead," Donald Kimelman, chairman of the center's board, said in a statement. "Alan has had an exemplary journalistic career in which he has demonstrated great integrity and a solid commitment to impartiality. He's a highly effective and creative leader. And he has a deep understanding of the digital arena in which the center's future will play out."

The center's parent organization, The Pew Charitable Trusts, is an independent nonprofit organization