I was glad to see the great political reporter Carla Marinucci land a new gig at Politico. I was sad to see her leave the San Francisco Chronicle, still a great and important newspaper. But there are lessons in such a move that go beyond her case.
In a recent Zocalo Public Square column, I wrote about the LA Times and its abbreviated move to take a more political and engaged stance under now-fired publisher Austin Beutner. There are many reasons for that, but one I didn’t get to talk about in the column is money.
Just as money has flowed out of newspapers and other mainstream media in the last several years, money has flowed into politics. Billions in fact, are going into politics and lobbying, and newspapers in particular have gotten little while Politico, among other publications, has prospered by following that money and getting a cut of it. The new, stronger California operation of Politico will grab even more of our political money, and that’s good, at least for Politico.
I wish California’s newspapers would move more quickly to a political stance – and grab that same money. Yes, this means loss of independence, but it also could mean a more sustainable future. And it might make it easier to hold onto top-notch journalists like Carla.