Schwartz Media has sold off The Monthly’s popular daily politics column, The Politics, to former Betoota Advocate publisher and Daily Aus investor Piers Grove for an unknown sum. It is understood the sale went through in early November 2023.
The new spinoff website will be led by Rachel Withers as editor-in-chief; Withers currently serves as contributing editor of the column.
Crikey understands the sale triggered two redundancies — including Withers, who accepted a move across to the new publication.
A draft press release, seen by Crikey, described the new venture as “an exciting opportunity to expand The Politics, bringing the progressive, no-bullshit attitude towards Canberra politics you’ve come to know and love from The Politics newsletter to a new media outlet”.
Current subscribers to the daily email, which will remain free, will be transferred over to the new website in early February. Withers will continue to pen the daily column from Monday to Thursday, with RRR’s Daniel James at the helm on Fridays.
Grove served for six years on the national committee for the Australian Republican Movement, as well as a bevy of climate organisations and startups. His experience in publishing is primarily among progressive and youth-focused outlets, having started as the founding publisher of The Betoota Advocate in 2014. In September 2019, Grove also took over as publisher of Instagram-focused outlet The Daily Aus.
In December 2021, Grove stepped down from both outlets to take over youth news website Junkee as publisher, after it was bought out by RACAT Group. Within a year, Junkee was facing accusations of dysfunction, heavy losses and a mass exodus of staff, as revealed in a Crikey investigation. Grove subsequently sold his stake in the venture to RACAT and stepped away from the organisation.
Speaking to Crikey, Grove said he “looked forward to growing and expanding The Politics and broadening the masthead” moving forward.
Withers told Crikey she was “stoked to have the chance to create another home for smart, progressive politics in Australia”.
“I’ve always wanted to launch something like this, and it feels like exactly the right time (yes, even amid mass layoffs) for something fresh, youth-led, and free of many of the constraints facing other media outlets,” she said.
The Monthly editor Michael Williams confirmed to Crikey that “Schwartz Media and The Monthly will have no further editorial or business involvement with The Politics”.
Williams added that The Monthly team was “extremely proud of the following that has built up for The Politics, and its deserved reputation as a place for smart, engaged daily political content and will be keen readers of it in its new standalone form”.
Schwartz Media founder Morry Schwartz and editor-in-chief Erik Jensen did not respond for comment.
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