Politico, the hard-driving D.C. journailsm org that purchased Capital New York, promises "hard-hitting journalism" in politics and media. We can give it a few subjects to sharpen its teeth on.

"New York has a hunger for better coverage," said CapNY CEO Jim VandeHei, a co-founder of Politico with John Harris, who is also working on CapNY.

“VandeHei,
VandeHei, Harris

It's odd that VandeHei should use the word "hunger" since a former staffer compared the super-charged Politico newsroom to "The Hunger Games" where rulers amuse themselves by watching youths fight to the death.

VandeHei and Harris have been superseded in D.C. by Susan Glasser, who in September was given day-to-day charge of Politico.

Politico staffers, according to a HuffPost article by ex -staffer Michael Calderone, say there is a "star system" for a few reporters while the majority are "left drifting in a far off journalistic galaxy."

Politico a "Stressful" Evironment

“glasser”
Glasser

Politico, wrote Calderone, has gained "a reputation over the years as a stressful, hamster wheel environment, where expectations aren't just about staying late to cover breaking news—as any Politico reporter would do—but essentially being on call, nights and weekends, for even the most granular piece of political news."

Calderone in 2012 gave this description of VandeHei and Harris, who left the Washington Post in 2006 to found the Capital Leader newspaper which later became Politico:

"VandeHei, 41, dressed in dark jeans and a black blazer, at times seems more like a coach than an editor, doling out sports metaphors and riding his players to move faster, crush the competition. Skipping pleasantries, he sometimes paces the newsroom asking reporters whether they're breaking news today.

"Harris, seven years older and a bit stockier, plays the part of the rumpled, sleeves-rolled-up newspaper editor, albeit one not averse to the new technology."

Said publisher Robert Allbritton: "With more journalists, enhanced coverage, must-read newsletters and a redesigned website, the new and improved Capital New York embodies the same combination of style and hard-hitting journalism that has made Politico a must read among the country's most influential people."

Four staffers specialize in media—Joe Pompeo, Jeremy Barr, Nicole Levy and Peter Sterne. Plenty of staff is available to cover all sorts of media subjects as long as politics does not get in the way.

New York Is Different from D.C.

Whether what works in D.C. will work in New York remains to be seen.

Since "hard-hitting" journalism about media is promised, we would like CapNY to take up some thorny subjects including why the New York Times does not cover, except with a few pictures by society photographer Bill Cunningham, the annual banquet of the Committee to Protect Journalists in the Waldorf-Astoria grand ballroom.

This year's Nov. 25 banquet raised a record $2.7 million as about 1,000 people in formal dress paid $1,000 each and more donations came from institutions and companies.

Could it be that NYT considers it unseemly for journalists to be dining in such splendor while images of slain, tortured, imprisoned and assaulted journalists flash by on large screens?

CapNY reporter Pompeo, then with the original CapNY, wrote in 2010 that he thought the "opulent" scene in the Waldorf ballroom was "somewhat incongruous" since it was accompanied by "images of military and police crackdowns in autocratic regimes that flashed across two large TV screens flanking the stage."

“pompeo”
Pompeo

CPJ does not encourage press coverage. Working press must sit in the balcony where they get sandwiches, potato chips and soft drinks, which is far different from the fare being served below. One reporter per medium is allowed which means no reporter/photographer teams.

CPJ Has $15M Plus New Money

Worth examining is the $15 million treasury that CPJ had before this year's event. Why does it need all that money? Also, UNESCO's Navi Pillay has noted that virtually nothing can be done about press persecution in dictatorships. Journalists are murdered, sued, imprisoned, and exiled with "impunity," she points out. Almost no murders are ever investigated because the governments themselves are often involved, says a UNESCO study.

Another event that NYT skips is the "Financial Follies" of the New York Financial Writers Assn. which took place Nov. 21 this year. Nearly 500 journalists are guests of many of the companies that they write about at dinner for which individual tickets are $400.

Amanpour/Naouai Dustup Needs Eyeballs

CapNY should look into the Nov. 21 on-air battle between CNN's Christiane Amanpour, who was the host of this year's CPJ dinner, and Anissa Naouai, a host of the Russia-operated RT ("Russia Today") worldwide news network.

Both accused the other of bias in their coverage. Naouai is an American who attended New York's Hunter College for two years and went to Moscow in 2001 as a student. She has been with RT, funded by $300 million in Russian government money, since 2006. Her New York background should interest CapNY.

The lengthy debate, for which transcripts are available via both CNN and RT, puts the focus on political force impacting news coverage. Amanpour and Naouai argued their cases forcefully. Charges are made by each that need journalistic research. NYT also ignored this story.

Another topic for further examination is NYT's full-page analysis of its coverage of Israel/Palestine Nov. 23 by public editor Margaret Sullivan.

CapNY could explore why the CPJ dinner and CPJ's bulging bank account are also ignored by ProPublica and the Wall Street Journal. Paul Steiger and Norman Pearlstine, both ex-WSJ, are active in ProPublica and CPJ.

Political sensitivities are involved but CapNY has pledged to be "hard-hitting."

CapNY, if it is to cover media, charging $3,000 or so for its "Pro" coverage although certain other coverage is in the free area, must also cover PR because reporters don't get very far these days without encountering PR people who have their hands on the levers of information and communication and who control access to their bosses and clients.

Policies and practices in PR need coverage.