As David Frum Just Said Somewhere, I Would Bet That Ezra Klein's New Venture-to-Be Will Last Longer than the Washington Post
Ravi Somaiya: Ezra Klein Is Said to Plan to Leave Washington Post:
Ezra Klein, an analyst, columnist and television commentator who runs The Washington Post’s Wonkblog, is making plans to leave the newspaper after failing to win support for a new website he wanted to create within the company, according to four people with knowledge of the negotiations.... Klein... approached Katherine Weymouth, the Post’s publisher... put forward a proposal with detailed revenue projections to build a new website dedicated to explanatory journalism on a wide range of topics beyond political policy. It would have been affiliated with The Post, the person said, but would have been a separate enterprise. The investment he sought, the person said, was in eight figures.
Ms. Weymouth and the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, declined to support the project. Since then, Mr. Klein has had discussions with several potential investors and venture capitalists in an effort to start the website himself, said those with knowledge of his plans.... It is possible that Mr. Klein could remain at The Post if talks about his plans were rekindled. As 2013 drew to a close, Neil Irwin, the economics editor of Wonkblog, joined The New York Times. Mr. Klein has been on vacation in San Francisco. Both declined to comment, as did The Washington Post.
The Washington Post owns the name Wonkblog, said a person with knowledge of the arrangement, and could continue it even without Mr. Klein...
