Cybersecurity

The Hill Tries to Shed Wonky Image With Hip Web-Based Makeover

  • Publication to launch comedy show, ‘Morning Joe’-type talkfest
  • Owner says moves part of reinvention, not faddish dalliance

The Hill website.

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The Hill, a news publication long known for its staid coverage of U.S. congressional policy making, is looking for the next Jon Stewart.

Sometime in early 2018, the publication will stream a new comedy show on the web. As of yet, the daily program doesn’t have a name, or even a host. But executives at The Hill are scouring the ranks of the internet and cable TV, looking for winsome smart alecks who can do for Trump-era Washington something akin to what Stewart once did on Comedy Central in the Bush and Obama years -- that is, translate the often-distressing political news cycle into something viewers can laugh about, perhaps to keep from crying.