The Huffington Post | The New York Times
Rick Berke has resigned from his post as executive editor of Politico after disagreements with co-founders John Harris and Jim VandeHei over “strategy for running the Washington news organization,” Michael Calderone writes for The Huffington Post:
“There is no acrimony and no drama — simply an acceptance by the three of us that the dynamics were just not there for us to function seamlessly,” Berke wrote in a memo obtained by The Huffington Post.
In another memo obtained by Calderone, Harris and VandeHei say Berke’s departure wasn’t an “isolated decision.”
We have very big plans for expanding POLITICO here and elsewhere and need in place a leadership team that shares our vision, ambitions and full faith.
Berke succeeded VandeHei as executive editor in October. Before that, he had multiple jobs at The New York Times, including senior editor and director of video content development and assistant managing editor.
Politico editor-at-large Bill Nichols will be acting executive editor, Ravi Somaiya writes for The New York Times. VandeHei and Harris do not have a successor in place yet.
After Berke’s departure from The New York Times last year, then-editor Jill Abramson said she was looking forward to “competing against him again,” adding that “Politico is lucky to have him as executive editor.”
