Former US Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) has joined the board of directors of The Newsweek Daily Beast Company, taking the seat formerly occupied by her husband, Sidney Harman, who died this month. The Harman family bought Newsweek last year and holds a 50% stake in the company created by merging it with The Daily Beast.
While Sidney Harman had been Executive Chairman of the company, that title now goes to Barry Diller, who’s publicly traded IAC owns the other 50%. Jane Harman, who has been President and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars since resigning from Congress earlier this year, will represent the family interest as a director.
“I have agreed to represent the Harman family’s 50% interest in Newsweek and The Daily Beast and to join Barry Diller on the Board. The Harman family fully endorsed Sidney’s vision to save and restore Newsweek, and to merge it with The Daily Beast. We are so pleased with the progress to date. As a Director, I will work to support the best of journalism – in print, digital, and mobile. Our family will remain actively engaged and totally committed to the success of this enterprise,” said a statement from Jane Harman.
