The battle for media talent in Brussels is showing no sign of abating. In fact, the gloves are off. At first, the great Brussels media reshuffle looked like it was a case of new year, new job, with the new EU institutions thrown into the mix. But there is definitely more to it.
Rarely a week goes by without news of yet another media move. POLITICO is mourning the loss of Playbooker Eddy Wax and defence correspondent Joshua Posaner to Euractiv, which has also lured Orlando Whitehead from his role as managing editor at the Brussels Times.
“Journalists in Brussels have so many options that they can afford to be picky. Even if they’re not happy with their current employer, they’re often circumspect about taking a leap into what they see as the unknown. It’s not just about pay. Prestige comes into it. Journalists like to see their names up in lights,” said Javier Espinoza, Europe executive editor at The Capitol Forum.
Philip Herd, editor in chief at the Brussels Times, agreed that pay is not the only drawcard. “For their part, the media outlets are getting very competitive, and poaching journalists is now part of that. You have to act quickly and offer a very good incentive – and not just money – to snag who you want.”
Espinoza, who recently left the Financial Times after eight years to join the throng of editors vying for talent, noted that “there are rewards for those who make moves into the unknown earlier, like those who started out with POLITICO nearly a decade ago”.
Herd, who previously spent the best part of two decades at the BBC, blamed several factors for the shortage of talent. “For one, there are a lot of new actors in the media sector here in Brussels this year. Also, those existing media outlets have undergone quite a lot of change of ownership or editorial leadership which in many cases has created instability and opportunities within those organisations.”
Euractiv said journalists often stayed for a long time with their employer but “when they make a move, it is either because they are at odds with the editorial line, the management, or because they are ready for a change”.
Recently bought by Belgian media company Mediahuis, Euractiv is entering a period of newfound stability. “We have had quite a few movements in the newsroom over the last 18 months, to be considered as a natural consequence of the evolution of the brand during that period: the change of ownership in 2023, the adaptation of the business model in 2024, and the arrival of a new Editor-in-Chief in 2025.”
An editor, speaking on condition of anonymity, cited the demand for specialist expertise. “It’s never been so difficult to hire – and more importantly – to retain media talent. Journalists have so much choice that we’re seeing a lot of job-hopping. There’s a lot of competition for reporters with deep knowledge of certain sectors where there’s a small pool of supply. Also, native English skills are at a premium.”
Herd noted that since Brexit the pool of mother-tongue English journalists had shrunk. “This basically means it’s a sellers’ market – journalists are able to hedge their bets more and weigh up their options and speak to many more potential employees before making a move.”
For Euractiv, language alone is not the deciding factor in recruitment. “It’s more important to have reporters who master the subject of their beat and can break news, than it is to be able to write in perfect English.”
A second editor, speaking off the record, said larger organisations had more senior roles and could promote their journalists internally. “We have a limited number of senior roles and many of them are already filled by talented people, so that means that there isn’t always a clear path forward even for very promising talent. Ultimately, they leave when they feel like they have outgrown the role that they are in. At the end of the day, not everyone can be a senior reporter as there needs to be a balance of skillsets on the team, so I understand why people move on.”
POLITICO, which has a large newsroom but has also seen a large exodus and is still looking for an executive editor in Brussels, was sanguine.
“It’s common for journalists to move between organisations, particularly during times of political change. However, in our experience, staff retention in Brussels is generally strong compared to other markets and many successful journalists have built long-term careers within our organisation,” POLITICO said.
“For example, Joshua Posaner and Eddy Wax, who recently departed POLITICO, were with the publication for nine and six years, respectively, underscoring that journalists often stay for significant periods before moving on.”
The second editor is open to hiring non-journalists and training them as a way round the shortage. “We hire for a mix of skill sets, such as a specific policy background, a strong network in the institutions, a law degree, language skills, fit with the team and company culture along with journalism experience. We have an excellent track record of cultivating talent and transforming non-journalists into journalists, so I have no problem hiring ambitious candidates who prove that they want to help us break news and be the best on their beats – even if it takes some investment at the start.”
POLITICO is also known for hiring non-journalists. “We focus on attracting the best talent from a variety of backgrounds and providing them with the support, opportunities, and editorial freedom to excel. We also take pride in the diversity of our Brussels newsroom and actively seek to hire people with a range of backgrounds, language skills, and expertise in different policy areas and political contexts.”
However, Herd will always prize a candidate “who has either had some form of journalist training, or who has already worked in a ‘traditional’ editorial structure and process”.
He observed that “there are lots of people in Brussels who say they are journalists who are not. Being a writer or having worked in communications is not the same thing as being a journalist. That is why I always insist on meeting candidates in person – to look them in the eyes and have a proper conversation about journalism. For me you can tell if someone has ‘it’ only by meeting them and talking to them in person.”
This does not rule out the inexperienced. “I also want young, keen, up and coming reporters with new ideas and new contacts and potential – often if they are hungry to learn and try anything, they turn out to be your best hires.”
The gloves are also off in the battle for eyeballs. With Matthew Karnitschnig at the helm, Euractiv has launched a punchy newsletter on politics, lobbying and the media which makes POLITICO’s EU Influence newsletter look positively restrained.
But that’s another story.
I will conduct a fireside chat with Jamil Anderlini, POLITICO’s Regional Director in Europe, on 17 March from 18:30 at TheMerode.