Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei recounts the pitch he gave venture capitalists while fundraising for Axios after leaving Politico.
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“I think that most media companies are going to go under”
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VandeHei: Journalists have a genetic flaw of hiding facts in word vomit
“Basically, one of the genetic flaws in journalists is that they're not great writers, and they often bury what matters, and they often hide it in a vomit of words.”
Jim VandeHeiFeb 27, 2023▶ 1:07:03Politico & Axios: Jim VandeHei
Insight
VandeHei: Political scoops essential to insiders inherently interest broader audiences
“If we can get something that is so interesting to the most powerful people, it's gonna be interesting to anybody who cares about politics.”
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VandeHei: The 'great man' startup narrative is completely false
“That's why I hate the great man stories. These one person visionaries who willed something into existence. That's bullshit. Like nobody wills something into existence alone. You have a lot of people Who are helping you, who've helped you in the past, who are h…”
Jim VandeHeiFeb 27, 2023▶ 1:17:08Politico & Axios: Jim VandeHei
Insight
VandeHei: Niche trade publications are crucial training grounds for top reporters
“I mean, it's one of the little, it's one of, like you said, it's one of the little known training grounds for many of the reporters that you see around town today, and you learn because you have to learn how to do a beat. You have to learn, you're, you are cov…”
Jim VandeHeiFeb 27, 2023▶ 15:48Politico & Axios: Jim VandeHei
AssertionSupported
VandeHei: First to report Republican secret basement meetings regarding Clinton impeachment
“I was the first person back then to report that Republicans were meeting secretly in the basement. And trying of the capital and trying to move money from a slush fund to lay the groundwork to impeach Clinton.”
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Disclosure
VandeHei bluffed Congress members about meetings to unlock early political scoops
“And then I was very good at figuring out what moves will somebody else make next based on what I've seen them do in the past. Which would then allow me to pick up the phone and call a member of Congress and say, I know you're meeting on this, even if I didn't …”
Jim VandeHeiFeb 27, 2023▶ 22:52Politico & Axios: Jim VandeHei
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