More on Rachel Van Dongen’s Project
We told you earlier about former Roll Call’r Rachel Van Dongen‘s new project at the Washington Post and how hush-hush they’re being about the whole thing (Van Dongen wouldn’t/couldn’t even tell Roll Call what she was leaving for…)
Join us after the jump to see what we’ve unearthed…
One tipster tells us:
The project has been described to me as a Wikipedia/Facebook hybrid which would include bios for movers and shakers in all aspects of Washington life. She’s hiring some kids fresh out of college on 6-month contracts to write the bios.
Another:
Think CityFile, but for lobbyists and political influencers.
The hope is to make this a constantly updated briefing of sorts that remains relevant far beyond the daily news cycle, and which political insiders can return to time after time as it grows, improves and deepens.
So, if you were going into a meeting with Sen. John Kerry, his entry wouldn’t just tell you where he was born, where he went to school and that he ran for president. Instead, it’d tell you his policy background, what he’s done to move certain policies forward on various committees, how he’s become a mover and shaker and so on and so on…
It will be free.
Over time, the goal is to have the public be able to weigh in, too.
If this works, you may see similar Wiki-ideas in other areas of the WaPost universe.
Right now it’s a six month project, and they’ll reassess after that.
They’ve already hired the Express’s sports editor, Ian Herbert.
Expect a soft internal launch by Dec. 1, with a more broad launch by Inauguration Day.
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Nadine Cheung
Editor, The Job Post
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