Rupert Murdoch is close to snapping up Long Island's Newsday, reports Newsday, picking up on a report yesterday from the Wall Street Journal, all of which should be pretty clear evidence that THIS MAN CONTROLS THE NEWS CYCLE. The deal, which won't close for another few weeks, values the Tribune daily at $580 million, or about one-sixth of the $5 billion paid for the Journal. The news arrives just as Journal managing editor Marcus Brauchli, a friend to the editorial department in a sea of Murdoch-brand change, is also departing after four months on the job, taking over shortly after News Corp. bought the paper; that news was also first reported by the Journal. Brauchli, who is expected to remain a News Corp. employee, is technically resigning. This, after rallying the Journal troops around their new boss.