Mike Allen, former White House reporter for Time, and former Bloomberg political correspondent Roger Simon will be working with former Washington Post political editor John Harris and Jim VandeHei, who was the national political reporter for The Post. The venture is being financed by Albritton Communications and is set to launch on Jan. 23, the same day as the president's State of the Union address.
According to VandeHei, The Politico will attempt to stand out in the crowded political news arena by hiring a few established reporters along with cub reporters who are eager to get their careers started. It will also be marked by video reports, reporters who write in conversational tones, and reporter discussions that do not usually make it to print.
"What we can add is fact-based content, and that's what people on opinion pages and blogs feed off of," VandeHei said.
VandeHei had high praise for Allen and Simon, saying that The Politico's new chief political correspondent Allen had embraced the internet and technology, and was the "prototype" for the journalists he wants.
Simon, the new political columnist for The Politico, admitted that there was risk involved in a startup such as Allbritton's, but he was still confident in his decision.
"This venture is as secure as any media venture out there and more secure than some," he said.
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