The US political news site Politico will establish an Australian outlet later this year, bringing its brand of insider politics and policy news to the Canberra press gallery.<\/p>\n
Ryan Heath, an Australian journalist who launched Politico\u2019s Brussels Playbook a decade ago, is the edition\u2019s launch editor. A newsletter covering federal parliamentary politics and policy, Canberra Playbook, will launch when parliament returns from a winter break.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralians need journalism that both explains power dynamics and connects the dots globally,\u201d Heath said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this era of great power and technology upheavals, Politico\u2019s ability to examine Australia\u2019s most important security and trade relationships is unrivaled. We take politicians and policy seriously \u2013 it\u2019s all we do. We will bring that depth and new angles to political journalism in Canberra, just as we have everywhere else we operate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Canberra bureau will link Politico readers <\/a>in North America and Europe to Australian politics and help readers understand geopolitical developments in the Indo-Pacific, said Politico\u2019s chief executive, Goli Sheikholeslami.<\/p>\n Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis investment in a third continent underscores how Politico enters its third decade as a strong, successful, and growing news organisation, committed to linking international power centres and illuminating politics, power, and policy on a global scale.\u201d<\/p>\n Launched in Washington in 2007, Politico has built a profitable business model based on offering both free and subscription content produced by 350 journalists in Washington, Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Sacramento and New York.<\/p>\n Politico is owned by Axel Springer, a major media company based in Germany. Photograph: Timon Schneider\/Alamy<\/p>\n Heath, who is returning to Australia to set up the bureau, said \u201cCanberra is unmistakably a Politico town\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has the planet\u2019s densest diplomatic community, and is a city purpose-built for power and policy,\u201d he said on LinkedIn.<\/a> \u201cCanberra is also a geopolitical capital, a connector between East and West.\u201d<\/p>\n Heath indicated the new outlet would not be too ambitious and would start small: \u201cWe\u2019re not going to bite off more than we can chew.\u201d<\/p>\n