Moving Away From MoJo   

After six years with Mother Jones, Editor Jeffery Klein steps down.

In a surprise move, Jeffrey Klein ends his six-year editorship of the investigative, liberal-minded Mother Jones . Klein, who will leave the bimonthly magazine, circulation 140,000, when his contract expires in February 1999, says he's ``really thrilled with the job I've done here, but it's time for me to move on." During his tenure as president and editor in chief, he has increased circulation by more than 25 percent and, he says, broadened the scope of the magazine's traditional coverage ``without sacrificing its investigative vigor"--albeit in the face of some criticism from leftist loyalists. While Klein, a Mother Jones co-founder, is ``very proud" of MoJo's tough coverage of Newt Gingrich , the publication has also scrutinized affirmative action and women's studies tracts. Publisher Jay Harris credits Klein with furthering the magazine's ``reach to a broader audience, a younger audience than the traditional baby boomers." In a time of hard financial pressures, Harris is looking for a successor who will ``carry on in that direction." Harris says since the nonprofit MoJo was founded in 1976, ``money has been an issue." As for Klein, he is weighing several options. He'll work as a consulting editor for the newly redesigned Mother Jones for six months after his departure.