NOTUS, the Washington political news site backed by Politico co-founder Robert Allbritton, will relaunch in June as “The Star,” its editor in chief told the New York Times.
The rebrand comes after the publication, which launched in 2023 through the nonprofit Allbritton Journalism Institute, hired several reporters following the Washington Post’s decision in February to lay off hundreds of journalists, end most of its sports coverage and scale back its local focus.
Tim Grieve, the publication’s top editor, told the paper there was “a need for a publication that really focused on both political Washington and ‘normal’ Washington, as the Post retreats on that front.”
A NOTUS spokesperson had no additional comment.
The publication will also expand its coverage of Congress and the White House. It has hired several Washington Post reporters, including congressional reporters Paul Kane and Kadia Goba and economics reporter Jeff Stein.
The rebrand will come with a $30 million investment from Allbritton, the billionaire owner whose father once owned the Washington Star in the 1970s. It will also rely on advertising and launch subscriptions later this year, according to the Times.
Allbritton kickstarted his nonprofit, which trains young journalists by pairing them with experienced D.C. correspondents, with a $20 million grant.
NOTUS started the year with 45 staffers in its newsroom, but it expects to more than double its headcount to 95 journalists by the end of the year, according to the Times.
Several news outlets have seized on the Post’s staff cuts. The Baltimore Banner said it would move into covering D.C. sports, while the Athletic and ESPN have hired multiple Post reporters.
