Nextgov

About Nextgov

Nextgov is a digital news publication based in Washington, D.C., that covers how technology is transforming the federal government. Published by Nextgov.com and operated by GovExec, the outlet delivers daily reporting and analysis on cybersecurity, IT modernization, artificial intelligence, and the federal acquisition and policy landscape. Since its launch in 2008, Nextgov has been a consistent presence at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and government, serving an audience of federal IT managers, agency leaders, acquisition teams, and the contractors and vendors who work with them.

Origins: A Government Executive Spin-off

Nextgov began as a spin-off of Government Executive, the Washington-based publication that had covered government business since 1969. In 2007, Government Executive's information technology reporting was separated into a new publication dedicated specifically to technology and the future of government. The new site, Nextgov.com, formally launched in March 2008 with a distinct editorial identity and a founding team led by Allan Holmes, whose staff collectively brought four decades of experience covering federal technology.

At launch, the site's editors stated a founding principle that still shapes its coverage: to bring information technology "out of the IT shop and into the government 'boardroom,'" where it could inform policy decisions and help set agency strategies. Rather than treating federal IT as a narrow technical beat, Nextgov positioned it as a management and leadership story — one that mattered to program managers, private-sector partners, and outside observers of the public sector alike.

The March 2008 Launch

When Government Executive launched Nextgov.com in March 2008, it described the site as unlike any other publication covering the federal information technology community. Traditional media, the editors noted, was a one-way conversation between journalists and readers. Nextgov was conceived as a multilayered dialogue between and among federal IT officials, program managers, private-sector officials, and outside observers — a community built around building high-performing, outcome-oriented public sector organizations.

The launch editorial identified three missions for the new site: to provide news and information, to facilitate in-depth research, and to encourage interactivity. Reporters and editors would deliver the latest developments in IT management along with practical tips and advice, while readers would be invited into the conversation rather than kept at arm's length from it.

Coverage Beats: Cybersecurity, Modernization, and AI

Today, the Nextgov/FCW editorial team delivers definitive coverage across a set of core beats that map directly onto the federal technology agenda. Cybersecurity is a centerpiece of the coverage, including reporting on federal breaches, contractor accountability, and the evolving standards agencies must meet. IT modernization — the long-running federal effort to replace legacy systems with cloud-based platforms — is another pillar, with regular coverage of the Technology Modernization Fund and the projects it finances.

Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies have become one of the publication's fastest-growing areas of coverage, alongside quantum computing and digital government services. The outlet also covers innovative acquisition practices, digital management, and the legislation and policy that shape the federal technology space — from new authorities granted by Congress to executive branch directives on AI safety and regulation.

The People Beat and Power Players

Nextgov's coverage extends beyond programs and procurement to the people driving federal technology. Its "People" coverage tracks the appointments, departures, and influence of technology leaders across the federal government — from agency chief information officers to White House AI policy officials and members of the intelligence community taking on technology portfolios.

This focus on the "power players" who drive government technology efforts is part of the publication's stated mission: its editorial team covers not just the tools and contracts, but the individuals whose decisions determine whether federal agencies adopt new technology quickly or slowly, wisely or wastefully.

Ownership: GovExec and Growth Catalyst Partners

Nextgov is owned by GovExec, the information platform that describes itself as catalyzing the government mission — empowering the government ecosystem through data, media, and marketing services. In 2020, Atlantic Media sold the Government Executive Media Group, which included Nextgov, to Growth Catalyst Partners, a private-equity firm. GovExec continued to operate its portfolio of government-focused media brands, which also includes Government Executive, Defense One, and Route Fifty.

In 2021, GovExec acquired the Public Sector 360 Group from 1105 Media, adding established technology brands including Federal Computer Week and Washington Technology to its stable. FCW had been launched as a print weekly in 1987 to serve as the authoritative source of news and insight on the business of federal IT.

The Nextgov/FCW Merger

Following the 2021 acquisition, GovExec combined Nextgov and FCW into a single editorial operation known as Nextgov/FCW, unifying two of the federal IT market's longest-running news brands. The combined site connects the federal IT community online, in print, and through face-to-face events, with news, analysis, and insights from award-winning journalists and a nationwide community of expert voices.

In 2024, GovExec merged the editorial teams of Nextgov/FCW and Route Fifty — its publication covering state and local government — to more closely align coverage of how all levels of government are embracing technology and innovation. As part of that restructuring, Jessie Bur, who had served as managing editor of Nextgov/FCW since joining GovExec in 2022, was named executive editor of both Nextgov/FCW and Route Fifty. Bur previously worked as a technology reporter for Federal Times and MeriTalk, and she reports to Frank Konkel, GovExec's editor-in-chief.

Awards and Recognition

Nextgov has used awards programs to recognize innovation in federal technology leadership. In 2010, the site introduced the Nextgov Award, designed to honor public officials who took bold, sometimes provocative steps to use technology to improve the way government works — recognizing innovative programs, policies, and management practices that challenged federal employees to think and work differently.

The publication's journalism is part of a GovExec portfolio that has won industry recognition over the years, and Nextgov/FCW describes its reporting team as award-winning. Its reporters' work — on topics from FBI data-access disputes to the contracting scandals behind federal technology projects — is regularly cited across the government technology ecosystem.

Events, Newsletters, and Community

Beyond its daily website coverage, Nextgov/FCW operates as a multi-platform community for the federal IT world. The brand runs a wide range of face-to-face and virtual events that bring together agency technology leaders, industry executives, and policymakers. It also publishes email newsletters that keep readers current on federal technology news, and maintains a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and via RSS.

The site also publishes digital editions and eBooks focused on specific technology domains — including quantum technology, health technology, and law enforcement technology — extending its reporting into longer-form, research-oriented formats for its professional audience.

Audience and Role in the Federal IT Market

Nextgov/FCW's core readership consists of the professionals who buy, build, and manage the federal government's technology: agency chief information officers and their staffs, federal program managers, acquisition and contracting teams, and the contractors and vendors that make up the government IT industrial base. Its tagline positioning — federal technology news and analysis for IT managers and acquisition teams — reflects that audience precisely.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a team of roughly a dozen to several dozen editorial staff, Nextgov/FCW occupies a specialized but influential niche: it is the trade press for one of the largest technology buyers in the world, the U.S. federal government. For agency officials, its reporting is a daily briefing on the policy changes, procurement decisions, and security incidents that shape their work; for industry, it is a window into where federal technology dollars are headed next.

Looking Ahead

Nearly two decades after its launch, Nextgov continues to operate under the premise that animated its founding: technology decisions are government decisions, and the public deserves reporting that treats them that way. As artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and new cybersecurity threats reshape the federal landscape, the combined Nextgov/FCW newsroom — now aligned with Route Fifty's state and local coverage — remains positioned at the center of the conversation about how government agencies serve citizens and perform their vital functions in a digital age.