Politico headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Politico)
On Tuesday around noon, Axel Springer chief executive Mathias Döpfner made an appearance at POLITICO’s Rosslyn headquarters, addressing staffers at an all-hands meeting. Speaking before the newsroom’s journalists, the towering German highlighted plans for the outlet’s forthcoming expansion into Australia and touched on subjects like A.I. and the loss of federal government subscriptions following a DOGE-led campaign. But what Döpfner didn’t say appeared to be more on the minds of staff—namely, who will lead the newsroom into the future.
Conversations with half a dozen insiders who spoke to Status suggest the town hall was largely business as usual. But it comes amid POLITICO’s ongoing search for a new global editor-in-chief after John Harris announced last year he would vacate the role. While executives are focused on regaining lost subscription revenue and exploring new ways to diversify, staffers are understandably preoccupied with the bigger question: Who will they be reporting to next?
Döpfner had a packed schedule in Washington this week, including an introductory meeting with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Status has learned. But even more notable is that Axel Springer has narrowed its leadership search for a new top editor, with Döpfner, POLITICO chief executive Goli Sheikholeslami, and other senior managers meeting…
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The Washington Post building. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Post Reality Check: On Wednesday, staffers at The WaPo gathered for a town hall with Executive Editor Matt Murray and interim publisher Jeff D’Onofrio. The meeting, coming just weeks after the newspaper endured massive layoffs across the company, started on a positive note, according to multiple people in attendance, with Murray applauding the newspaper’s lawyers after a federal judge blocked prosecutors from searching reporter Hannah Natanson’s devices as part of a leak investigation. D’Onofrio then announced that…
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