Cox planning ‘national news website’ geared toward conservatives
Unnamed news outlet promises to be ‘anti-propaganda’
- Joeff Davis/CL File
- Erick Erickson kinda fits the editor profile, no?
Cox Media Group, the parent company of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, plans to launch an “independent (nonpartisan), anti-propaganda” national news website for conservative audiences that is “rooted in the South away from the right and left coasts.” Take that, propaganda!
The company, a subsidiary of the many-tentacled, Dunwoody-based monolith known as Cox Enterprises, owns oodles of newspapers and TV and radio stations, including WSB-TV and AM750 News/Talk-WSB. Last week Cox posted job ads for editor in chief, managing editor, and content editor positions.
The company wants the person who fills the top job - which comes with a “very competitive” salary and requires 10 years experience - to have an “established personal brand and be nationally recognized as a voice for heartland conservatives.” So in other words... Erick Erickson.
He or she will be the face of the publication on TV/radio talk shows and in the public arena. This editor will set the voice and tone of the publication and drive national public conversation. This editor will mentor a small team of editors working on the 24/7 news site and offer fans/readers instant insights with humor, intelligence and transparency. The editor must establish a strong ideological narrative and lead the editorial team to find stories that mirror or magnify it. This editor embodies the soul of the publication and will be responsible for setting and meeting overall product goals and launch milestones throughout 2013 and beyond.
All the positions are based in “Atlanta” - we’re thinking they actually mean the corporate compound in Dunwoody, where nearly all the paper’s new staffers moved in 2010 - but they’d be willing to negotiate for the right person.
UPDATE, 2:53 p.m. Cox spokesman Andy McDill says in a voicemail to CL: “Right now the only thing I can do is confirm that we are launching a conservative website. We’ll have more details a little bit later on as we get closer to launch.”
Start recommending website names and editors... now.