Politico

Politico, founded in 2007 by veteran political journalists John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei, burst onto the scene with the subtlety of a freight train and the promise of transforming political reporting. Known for its obsessive focus on the Beltway bubble, Politico has turned inside baseball into an art form. Defining moments include its meteoric rise to influence, epitomized by the relentless coverage of the 2008 presidential race and the subsequent embrace by the Washington elite. Valued around $1.5 billion, Politico’s success story is sprinkled with awards and accolades, though not without its fair share of scandals, such as the uproar over its politically charged editorial slants and the occasional slip into clickbait territory. Under the stewardship of founder and CEO Harris and the sharp elbows of a cadre of ambitious journalists, the outlet has established itself as the go-to source for those who live and breathe political gossip and policy minutiae. Politico’s impact on modern journalism is as undeniable as its penchant for the high-stakes, inside-the-dome drama, a trade that keeps its readers perpetually tuned in and its critics grumbling from the sidelines.