…as told by Glenn Greenwald, via Twitter, just now:
One day, someone woke up and said: “let’s create a perfect exhibit for everything rotted in politics & media.” That’s how Politico was born.
And, as told by Politico co-founder John Harris, in the March/April issue of CJR:
Politico was founded two years ago with a couple of distinct ideas in mind.
The first was that in this crowded media environment, journalists are not commodities. The best journalists have distinctive strengths, with a disproportionate ability to have impact and drive conversation. In a Web era, these journalists have in many cases built their own franchises… Politico seeks to take advantage of this trend by assembling a roster of journalists with a demonstrated ability to thrive on the Web, and then helping them build their franchises…The second idea on which Politico is based is that today’s niche publications have certain intrinsic advantages in their business models—advantages that are amplified by the Web…We basically cover four related subjects: Congress, the White House, the Washington lobbying and influence industry, and national politics. No one is coming to our site for Washington Redskins news, or Fairfax County crime news. That means we are able to cover our areas of expertise much more intensively. And it means that advertisers know precisely—with a high degree of efficiency—who they are reaching on our site…If you want to reach an educated and affluent demographic that cares intensely about national and civic affairs, talk to Politico.
I'm with Glenn. There's plenty of inside baseball Democrat vs Republican tit-for-tat nonsense floating around in the mainstream media as it is. The Beltway politics "niche" is much better filled by CQ than these petty gossip-mongers.
#1 Posted by Gutenberg, CJR on Mon 27 Jul 2009 at 07:04 PM
Check the last two sentences - therein lies the real meat of the Polico's origins:
"...If you want to reach an educated and affluent demographic..."
#2 Posted by Joshua, CJR on Wed 29 Jul 2009 at 09:36 AM
Glenn could not be more correct. Politico is nothing more than an establishment rag bought and paid for by the same people who are part of the DC insider elite. Just another tool to spread disinformation, gossip, and propaganda.
#3 Posted by Intercooler, CJR on Wed 29 Jul 2009 at 09:54 AM
It seems to me that John is just saying the same thing: "an educated and affluent demographic that cares intensely about national and civic affairs...." or "The elite power holders who want reassurance that they still hold all the cards."
#4 Posted by hazel, CJR on Wed 29 Jul 2009 at 10:32 AM
Politico: Brought to You by the GOP
The only media outlets more openly biased in favor of the GOP are Murdoch papers and TV stations.
What bothers me is that so many people working for the MSM believe - or pretend to believe - that Politico is neutral. Occasionally Politico throws in a story that is critical of the GOP to give it the appearance of objectivity, but the site is basically just one long Republican press release.
#5 Posted by Katie, CJR on Wed 29 Jul 2009 at 07:51 PM
I'm going with Glennzilla on this one. As for the "educated and affluent" line, have you ever dipped into that cesspool that is the comments thread at phew litico? I have a one size fits all comment there for every posting. It goes like this; How come every time I visit the politico website I leave more stupid than when I came.
#6 Posted by Jim Olson, CJR on Wed 29 Jul 2009 at 08:01 PM
Glenn followed the money and found a wealthy Republican who is funding Politico.com despite the fact that POLITICO.COM IS STILL LOSING MONEY.
Politico.com a loss leading propaganda investment to push right wing memes but even more embarrassing is the MSM hosts who bring on those Politico propagandists as if they are neutral observers instead of active right wing media operatives.
#7 Posted by American, CJR on Thu 30 Jul 2009 at 12:25 AM
Greenwald and Harris are saying exactly the same thing--in two different languages. Greenwald is writing in English; Harris is writing in Beltway.
#8 Posted by Joe S., CJR on Thu 30 Jul 2009 at 10:45 AM
Of all the unctuous phrases uttered by John Harris in his defense of Politico's purpose, perhaps the most offensive is his contention that he and his ilk are "journalists." Harris, along with most of his better-known sidekicks in this venture to mislead unaware readers, is a longtime mouthpiece for some of the GOP's most cynical and hypocritical agenda points. Their "major media" pedigrees do nothing to alter this embarrassingly obvious fact.
#9 Posted by JPV Editor, CJR on Thu 30 Jul 2009 at 11:11 AM