Is there a space on the internet for a political Web site focused on long-term, manpower-heavy investigative projects at a time when Web-based news orgs are racing faster and faster in the battle to maximize clicks with attention-grabbing but perishable micro-scoops?
David Shuster, the former MSNBC reporter and man-about-D.C. who was ubiquitous during the 2008 campaign, thinks so. He got in touch to share new details about his project, which he described as a for-profit "investigative journalism venture."
Shuster says he's getting close to locking down funding for the project from a range of investors, and adds that he has been spending time over at Media Matters observing their operation. He's also spent time at Politico and Yahoo.com, in an effort to see how successful Web sites have managed to build up their operations.
Shuster envisions his new site as a kind of cross between high-profile sites like Huffington Post or Politico and lower-profile but successful investigative ventures like Pro Publica. He plans to use his profile as a former TV anchor who was highly visible in the political world in order to draw publicity and attention to long-term investigative projects that would otherwise have a tougher time breaking through all the clutter and noise.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2011/02/david_shuster_launching_new_in.html