Can Politico conquer Canberra?

The last edition of Frequency offered a round up of the dire state of rural and regional journalism in Australia, but are things any better in the capitals? And in particular, is the Canberra press gallery holding up its end of the democratic bargain?

I think these are particularly interesting questions in light of the news that Politico is turning its attention to Australia, launching a 'Canberra Playbook' to complement US and European coverage later this year. It arrives as Australian mastheads continue in structural decline amidst major revenue pressures. Their bet on deep policy coverage and insider access could represent recognition of an unfilled premium niche that may reshape Canberra press gallery dynamics.

Australia has seen a sharp turn toward presidential style campaigning in recent elections, as the Liberal Party's review of their disastrous 2025 result noted. This means that the likeability of the leader has much to do with the success, or otherwise, of any given campaign. Each election, this trend is catalysed by a gaggle of journalists on bussess following each of the two major party leaders around the country, filing breathlessly from campaign stops in towns they've probably never before visited, let alone have time to understand.

Simultaneously, digitised and hybridised news spaces across social media, podcasts, and other spaces have opened up new ways for politicians to reach their audiences. Labor recognised this by controversially inviting 'influencers' to cover the 2025 budget. Meanwhile, the ABC responded to these shifts by sacking their political editor Andrew Probyn, while Oxford's Reuters Institute catalogued cuts at NewsCorp, Seven, and Nine following the end of Meta funding deals. Other Australian news and media organisations are faring similarly poor, whether or not they are part of the hard news establishment: ARN's 2025 profits fell by 68% while the early stage of the Seven West-Southern Cross merger has been marked by stark declines in the TV business and sudden executive departures.

So, what can we expect from Politico?

Politico promises insider coverage and policy-focused journalism which are primarily funded via advertising and premium subscription models aimed more at insiders than your general voter. In this way its competitors are more like Crikey and The Mandarin (both owned by Private Media) than the Sydney Morning Herald. It will be overseen by experienced POLITICO staffer Ryan Heath, who has a wealth of experience in that organisation while also having kicked off his career at the SMH. Essentially, the top-level Politico subscriptions - from which the organisation makes the largest share of revenue - are aimed at decision makers and analysts. In the Australian Public Service alone, this could be around 45,000 people.

But the move follows a decade of failed experimentation in Australian bureaux from the likes of Buzzfeed, The New York Times, and Huffington Post alongside the local contractions and shifts noted above. Politico is entering the Australian political news market at precisely the moment others, including those most invested here, are retreating from it. The organisation's interest in Australia seems to be that, despite being a middle power in a disconnected part of the world, we have a wealthy, educated, and politically active population with deep influence over globally strategically important industries like defence, minerals, and trade.

Politico's premium approach with a laser focus on politics and power, versus that of the advertiser-supported general publishers who are struggling to adapt to the new economy may do well, but it will require careful treading on a very rocky path that others have fallen on.