Guardian press and publishing correspondent Stephen Brook believes that Sun deputy editor Dominic Mohan ascend to the paper’s editorship “in a matter of weeks”.
Mohan has been favourite to take the job ever since news broke two months ago that Rebekah Brooks (formerly Wade) was being promoted from Sun editor to chief executive of News International two months ago.
But the fact that Mohan didn’t get the job immediately must mean there has been some doubt in Rupert Murdoch’s mind. And he is the man who will decide who he wants to edit the paper which more than any other made him his fortune, and which still occupies a special place in his heart.
If Mohan has been on probation over the summer – he appears to have been doing a fine job (assuming he is the one who has been minding the shop).
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The paper had a great scoop last week when it got hold of “canoe man” John Darwin’s diaries and serialised them.
And its campaign to get Britain back to work by publicising job vacancies has been an inspired one. It is also a clever commercial move. At the present The Sun is advertising job vacancies for free – but when the economy returns it could find itself with a lucrative classified jobs website in a year or so’s time.
Questions may remain over whether Mohan has the necessary online credentials.
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Thelondonpaper editor Stefano Hatfield proved himself very adept at engaging a young urban readership – so he is still worth an outside bet for the job.
And it is no secret that Rupert Murdoch loves Telegraph editor-in-chief Will Lewis. The way Lewis hammered the MPs expenses story with massive splash headlines shows that he probably has the instincts to edit a tabloid.
But would The Sun editorship be enough for the rapidly rising Lewis?
Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson must also remain a strong candidate for the job. He seems to have emerged relatively unscathed from the Guardian’s new revelations about the phone-bugging scandal which cost him is job.
He will have impressed Murdoch with his performance before the Commons select committee earlier on this summer. And his close ties with the Cameron camp could prove handy if the Tories take power, as expected, next year.
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