John Harris

John Harris is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Politico, the must-read newspaper and website for DC power-players. Since its launch in January 2007, Politico has become one of the country's most-trafficked news sites and has drawn widespread attention nationally and internationally for its efforts to create a new editorial and business model to sustain robust journalism in an era of radical change for the media industry. Harris brought two decades of experience from the Washington Post to Politico, and, together with co-founder Jim VandeHei, a focused editorial vision of politics and policy. Harris, a Leading Authorities exclusive speaker, ensures that Politico and politico.com maintain journalistic integrity and the traditions of an old-guard newspaper while taking advantage of new media and technology streams. Well briefed in today's biggest issues, Harris was recently listed in the Telegraph's list of most influential Washington journalists and GQ's list of the most influential people in Washington. He is a frequent guest on such shows as CBS's Face the Nation, PBS's Washington Week and Charlie Rose Show, and MSNBC's Morning Joe. An inside source for political context, behind-the-scenes play by play, and the human drama that animates politics, Harris is steadfast in his goal of getting to the root of how Washington really works. He offers a unique view of the rhythms of DC politics and policy, and provides context and "predictive Politico intelligence" to audiences looking for a deeper understanding of the issues, and a grasp of how current and future policies will affect their industries. 

Politics and Prose. Harris spent twenty-one years at The Washington Post, covering local politics, Virginia state politics, and national issues. During the Clinton years, Harris covered the White House and eventually used that experience to write a history of the Bill Clinton presidency called The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House. The Atlantic Monthly called the book "a responsible, honest, tough, and--best of all--considered assessment of Clinton's presidency." The book was a New York Times bestseller and a Times notable book of the year. In 2006, Harris also co-authored a book on presidential politics titled, The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008, a book Publisher's Weekly called "an in-depth, indefatigable examination of American media and politics at the turn of the millennium."

Forward Momentum. Harris keeps a keen eye on the way technology is accelerating the spread of information, political cycles, and the public's expectations for change. He is passionate about journalism and news media, but realizes Politico can't stay complacent as a physical paper or even a website. There is always the question of "what's next". In addition to being editor-in-chief, Harris is influential on the business side of Politico, and under his leadership, Politico turned a profit after only 3 years of existence. The publication now has 120 employees in its news and business operations and was recently named by Fast Company magazine to its annual list of America's most innovative companies. Harris is also a board member of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the American Society of News Editors.