Jimmy Finkelstein’s winding career in publishing has included running and being a part-owner of The Hollywood Reporter and The Hill, a middle-market chronicler of Washington politics. In 2021, he sold The Hill to the broadcast giant Nexstar for $130 million.
But neither of those journalistic ventures was nearly as big as what Mr. Finkelstein, 74, is envisioning for what he’s calling his last major act in the media industry.
In May, he plans to introduce The Messenger, a news site that will cover politics, business, entertainment and sports. Financed with $50 million in investor money, the site will start with at least 175 journalists stationed in New York, Washington and Los Angeles, executives say. But in a year, Mr. Finkelstein said, he plans to have around 550 journalists, about as many as The Los Angeles Times.
The goal, Mr. Finkelstein said in his first extended interview about the new business, is creating an alternative to a national news media that he says has come under the sway of partisan influences. The site will be free and supported by advertising, with an events business to follow.
The Messenger, a Media Start-Up, Aims to Build a Newsroom Fast
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