Death of Print

Can Politico Save the News?

How a dishy D.C. newspaper rose to national prominence.

All the talk of the “death of newspapers” obscures the fact that, in some corners, there are sprouts of life. The online newspaper Politico is one such publication, having risen to national prominence during the election. Gabriel Sherman writes at The New Republic that “Politico succeeded in muscling its way into the political journalism firmament by the sheer volume of reporting and a shrewd—some might say obsessive—focus on the gossipy Beltway scoops and gaffes that appeal to the tabloid sensibility of Drudge and cable news.” Politico broke several stories during the election, including Sarah Palin’s shopping spree. Whether a newspaper whose primary purpose seems to be to have its writers appear on cable news segments can serve as a model for other papers is unclear. New York Times executive editor Bill Keller, for one, doesn’t think so: “Politico has focused on an inside game. I'm not sure if it translates to an outside game. I'm not sure how they get scale, and, if they don't, I'm not sure what the business model is."