Business Insider hires political editor

Josh Barro, the 28-year-old Bloomberg View blogger and rising star of moderate conservatism, is joining Business Insider as politics editor, reports Dylan Byers of Politico.

Byers writes, “‘I’ll be overseeing BI’s coverage of politics, and I’ll still be writing a lot,’ Barro told POLITICO in an email. ‘I see my core strength as explaining economic policy issues to quantitatively-minded readers who aren’t policy nerds, and that makes me a strong fit to complement BI’s existing strengths on financial markets and the tech sector.’

“Barro will be working under Business Insider’s executive editor Joe Weisenthal and CEO Henry Blodget. Grace Wyler, the current politics editor, will leave BI to pursue other opportunities.

“Beyond his work on economic policy, Barro is the youngest member of the growing center-right contigent (see Ross Douthat, David Frum) seeking to reform the Republican party. His efforts on that front have earned the contempt of hardline conservatives — The Atlantic recently labeled him ‘the loneliest conservative’– and praise from moderates. David Brooks, the New York Times columnist, recently commended him for ‘puncturing [GOP] sentimentality and groupthink.’

“‘Henry and I have been huge Josh Barro fans for ages, and couldn’t be more psyched to be working with him,’ Weisenthal said. ‘His blend of politics, policy, and economics expertise is a natural fit for the Business Insider audience. As his recent profile in The Atlantic made clear, he’s made a name for himself by simultaneously delighting and infuriating his readers, and I can’t wait for him to bring that same sensibility here.'”

Read more here.