We Need a Playbook: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer SE, speaks during the presentation of his book "Der Freiheitshandel" 18th, April 2024. (Photo by Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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Breaker has been documenting the trials and tribulations at Politico over the last year under Global Editor-in-Chief John Harris. On Thursday, Harris announced he would take on a new role as chairman as the search for his successor gets underway. In tonight’s edition, we go inside Politico’s newsroom to report on the front-runner to take over the beleaguered Beltway outlet and how staff feel about Harris’ legacy.
Plus, the Semafor founders make an intriguing disclosure following their recent raise, Emma Tucker signs a new deal to stay at The Wall Street Journal, The California Post makes a big poach from Variety, and a top Telegraph journalist defects to a rival.
Finally, it’s Thursday, which means Journo Jobs is back. Tonight, we have gigs at Axios, Rolling Stone, Barron’s, The Information, The New York Times, and WIRED.
Mentioned tonight: Robert Thomson, M. Scott Havens, Almar Latour, Jim Bankoff, Justin Smith, Ben Smith, Sarah Ball, Marie Beaudette, Charles Forelle, Nick Papps, Mike Miller, Gary Rosen, Dale Hrabi, Graydon Carter, Peter Lattman, Isabel Gillies, Jim Kelly, Pierre Omidyar, Belle Burden, Ginia Bellafante, Jensen Davis, Esther Perel, Andy Ward, Hannah Natanson, Evan Smith, Alexis Ohanian, Peter Kiefer, David Shipley, Mickey Down, Amol Rajan, Dominic Ponsford, Tony Dokoupil, Bari Weiss, Gabriel Sherman, Natalie Jarvey, Ankur Jain, Sean Walsh, Santina Leuci, Jen Zweben, Paige Smith, Daniella Genovese, Matt Zimmerman, Amy Maas, Brian Kelly, Charlotte Triggs, Matt Friend, Rob Crilly, Maxi Tani, and more.
Politico Succession
On Thursday morning, the beleaguered Beltway outlet held a global town hall with staff from D.C. to Brussels, Sacramento to London.
After opening remarks from CEO Goli Sheikholeslami, Global Editor-in-Chief John Harris dropped a bombshell.
Harris, a Politico co-founder who was parachuted back in in 2023 to lead the Axel Springer-owned newsroom, will become chairman, ostensibly a move to deep-carpet-land, as a search begins for his replacement as editor-in-chief.
“This role spans both the newsroom, where I have always been, and the business, where I have always played an active advisory role but am now taking on concrete responsibilities to advance our publishing strategy,” Harris informed colleagues in a note that, by Harris’ standards, was short (460 words).
Harris’ big swings that have missed include backing Senior Executive Editor, North America, Alex Burns, who treats interactions with his staff like a Playbook item: transactional, short, and over in a matter of minutes.
And against the advice of fellow executives, Harris parachuted in Jack Blanchard from across the pond to helm Politico’s most important and lucrative franchise – Playbook. A year on, there is no doubt from D.C. insiders that it has been an unmitigated disaster that has hurt the reputation and bottom line of the brand.
“At some point in 2026, I’ll be passing the editor-in-chief role to the best possible successor. Mathias (Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner) and Goli have asked me to join the search and decision. There is no set timeline. There have been no decision about whether this person is in our midst or comes from the outside.”
But there is a person in the midst who is seen as the frontrunner to lead Politico…
All Tucked In For The Next Term
(Exclusive.) Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker was recently re-upped in a multi-year deal by News Corp, Breaker has learned. Meanwhile, Publisher and CEO of Dow Jones, the “No Drama Dutchman” Almar Latour, is…