A former aide to retiring Senator Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) will serve as editor-in-chief of a new media outlet devoted to “discovering real-life success stories” — a reporting venture broadly analogous to the conservative policymaking currently in vogue among congressional Republicans.
John Hart, Coburn’s former communications director, will be editor-in-chief of the new site, Opportunity Lives.
“I’m really back to what I initially trained for,” Hart, who has a master’s degree in journalism, told National Review Online.
The website will feature think tank and policy writers — April Ponnuru, policy director for the YG Network, which has championed reform conservatism, has a piece on the site’s inaugural page; so does former Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Holtz-Eakin — and feature pieces profiling private citizens.
“We want to highlight America’s doers, reformers, innovators and problem-solvers, wherever they may live,” Hart added in a memo. “We hope what will make our platform unique is a focus on solutions rather than conflict. We’re most interested in reporting on what works, and why.”