'Boston Globe' Blogger Leaves for New Politicker.com

By: Joe Strupp James Pindell of The Boston Globe, one of the few fulltime political bloggers for a major newspaper, is leaving the daily to help oversee a new national network of political Web sites run by Observer Media.

The Politicker.com, which is slated to launch later this spring, will utilize a string of state-based political Web sites already in operation to provide a national network of political news, organizers say. Pindell will take the role of national managing editor and is set to begin his duties next week.

"The concept is not to be D.C.-based, but state-based," said Pindell, 29, who has blogged at the Globe's "Primary Source" site since 2006. "It cares a lot more about what happens at the state senate, the assembly. Hopefully, we will eventually have 50 different state-based political Web sites."

Observer Media, which owns the New York Observer, currently operates state-based politics sites in eight states under a politicker.com address. Those include New Jersey, Nevada, Maine, Oregon, Maryland, Arizona, Vermont and Colorado. Plans are in place for more websites by Feb. 1 in Washington State, Kentucky and New Hampshire.

Each state site adds the two-letter abbreviation for its state to the politicker.com address to form its name, such as www.politickernj.com for New Jersey.

"I will oversee all content on all sites," said Pindell, who will be based in Boston. "We are talking about having 75 to 100 reporters." A Politicker.com release said Pindell would "oversee an initial staff of eleven reporters across the country and establish a Washington, D.C., office for Politicker.com. In addition, Pindell will write a weekly national political column called 'The Pindell Politicker Report' that will appear on each of the Politicker.com sites."

Globe editors did not immediately return calls seeking comment. It is not known if Pindell will be relaced with another fulltime political blogger.

"James' jump to Politicker.com is a move towards the future of media - quick, relevant, local content with expert analysis and a unique voice," Observer Media Group publisher Jared Kushner said in a statement. "In today's media environment, you not only have to be first, but you have to be right. James is a fresh voice and an emerging powerhouse in political reporting."

Prior to joining the Globe, Pindell operated PoliticsNH.com, a New Hampshire political site. He has also written a monthly column for Campaigns and Elections Magazine and has served as an adjunct professor at New England College in Henniker, N.H.