''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the
progressive movement
Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techn ...
, it attempted to find a balance between "a
liberalism
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
centered in humanitarian and moral passion and one based in an ethos of scientific analysis". Through the 1980s and 1990s, the magazine incorporated elements of the
Third Way
The Third Way is a centrist political position that attempts to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of centre-right economic policies with centre-left social policies. The Third Way was born from ...
and
conservatism
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
.
In 2014, two years after Facebook co-founder
Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes (born November 26, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and author who co-founded and served as spokesman for the online social directory and networking site Facebook until 2007. He was the publisher and editor-in-chief of ''The New R ...
purchased the magazine, he ousted its editor and attempted to remake its format, operations, and partisan stances, provoking the resignation of the majority of its editors and writers. In early 2016, Hughes announced he was putting the magazine up for sale, indicating the need for "new vision and leadership".
The magazine was sold in February 2016 to
Win McCormack
Win McCormack is an American publisher and editor from Oregon.
He is editor-in-chief of ''Tin House'' magazine and Tin House Books, the former publisher of ''Oregon Magazine'', founder and treasurer of MediAmerica, Inc., and a co-founder of ''Mot ...
, under whom the publication has returned to a more progressive stance.
A weekly or near-weekly for most of its history, the magazine currently publishes ten issues per year.
Political views
In its current incarnation, ''The New Republic'' has been unambiguously to the
political left
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
and is often critical of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
establishment and strongly in favor of
universal health care
Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...
. In ''
The American Conservative
''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
'', Telly Davidson wrote that "its love letters to the
Bernie Bro
''Bernie Bro'' (sometimes spelled ''Berniebro''), collectively ''Bernie Bros'', is a term coined in 2015 by Robinson Meyer of ''The Atlantic'' as a pejorative to describe young male supporters of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in the 2016 ...
and
Millennial
Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s ...
Marxist movements and its attacks on
Hillary and the Democratic establishment from
the left, instead of from the right, bring back memories of its decidedly radical days in the '30s and '40s".
In May 2019, ''The New Republic'' published a roundtable on socialism where three of four contributions were favorable, while the owner and editor-in-chief,
Win McCormack
Win McCormack is an American publisher and editor from Oregon.
He is editor-in-chief of ''Tin House'' magazine and Tin House Books, the former publisher of ''Oregon Magazine'', founder and treasurer of MediAmerica, Inc., and a co-founder of ''Mot ...
, wrote a more dismissive piece.
In February 2019, staff writer Alex Shephard wrote that "it doesn't make political sense to put bumpers on hypothetical policies, which dampens voter enthusiasm. Pragmatism doesn't track as a legislative argument, either". In June 2019, staff writer
Alex Pareene
Alex Pareene (born ) is an American journalist, writer, and editor. He was the editor of the online news magazine ''Gawker''. wrote: "All the while, Democratic leaders continue to campaign and govern from a crouched, defensive position even after they win power. They have bought into the central ideological proposition, peddled by
apparatchiks and consultants aligned with the conservative movement, that America is an incorrigible 'center-right' nation, and they have precious little strategy or inclination to move that consensus leftward—to fight, in other words, to change the national consensus; the sort of activity that was once understood as 'politics'".
History
Early years
''The New Republic'' was founded by
Herbert Croly
Herbert David Croly (January 23, 1869 – May 17, 1930) was an intellectual leader of the progressive movement as an editor, political philosopher and a co-founder of the magazine ''The New Republic'' in early twentieth-century America. His pol ...
,
Walter Lippmann
Walter Lippmann (September 23, 1889 – December 14, 1974) was an American writer, reporter and political commentator. With a career spanning 60 years, he is famous for being among the first to introduce the concept of Cold War, coining the te ...
, and
Walter Weyl
Walter Edward Weyl (March 11, 1873 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 9, 1919 in Woodstock, New York) was a writer and speaker, an intellectual leader of the Progressive movement in the United States. As a strong nationalist, his goal was ...
through the financial backing of heiress
Dorothy Payne Whitney
Dorothy Payne Elmhirst ( Whitney; January 23, 1887 – December 14, 1968) was an American-born social activist, philanthropist, publisher and a member of the prominent Whitney family.
Life and work
Whitney was born in Washington, D.C., the daug ...
and her husband,
Willard Straight
Willard Dickerman Straight (January 31, 1880 – December 1, 1918) was an American investment banker, publisher, reporter, diplomat and by marriage, a member of the very wealthy Whitney family. He was a promoter of Chinese arts and investments, an ...
, who maintained majority ownership. The magazine's first issue was published on November 7, 1914. The magazine's politics were
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
and
progressive, and as such concerned with coping with the great changes brought about by middle-class reform efforts designed to remedy the weaknesses in America's changing economy and society. The magazine is widely considered important in changing the character of liberalism in the direction of governmental interventionism, both foreign and domestic. The most important of them was the emergence of the U.S. as a
great power
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...
on the international scene. In 1917, ''TNR'' urged America's entry into the
Great War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
on the side of the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
.
One consequence of the war was the
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...
. During the
interwar years
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...
, the magazine was generally positive in its assessment of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
. However, the magazine changed its position after the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
began in 1947, and in 1948, its leftist editor,
Henry A. Wallace, departed to run for president on the
Progressive ticket. After Wallace, the magazine moved toward positions more typical of mainstream American liberalism. Throughout the 1950s, the publication was critical of both Soviet foreign policy and domestic
anticommunism
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...
, particularly
McCarthyism. During the 1960s, the magazine opposed the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
but also often criticized the
New Left.
Until the late 1960s, the magazine had a certain "cachet as the voice of re-invigorated liberalism," in the opinion of the commentator
Eric Alterman
Eric Alterman (born January 14, 1960) is an American historian, journalist, author, media critic, blogger, and educator. He is a CUNY Distinguished Professor of English and Journalism at Brooklyn College and the author of eleven books. From 1 ...
, who has criticized the magazine's politics from the left. That cachet, Alterman wrote, "was perhaps best illustrated when the dashing, young
President Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until assassination of Joh ...
had been photographed boarding
Air Force One holding a copy."
[
]
Peretz ownership and eventual editorship, 1974–1979
In March 1974, the magazine was purchased for $380,000[ by ]Martin Peretz
Martin H. Peretz (; born December 6, 1938) is an American former magazine publisher and educator. Formerly an assistant professor at Harvard University, he purchased ''The New Republic'' in 1974 and assumed editorial control shortly afterwards. H ...
, a lecturer at Harvard University, from Gilbert A. Harrison.[ Peretz was a veteran of the New Left but had broken with the movement over its support of various ]Third World
The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...
liberationist movements, particularly the Palestine Liberation Organization. Harrison continued editing the magazine and expected Peretz to let him continue running the magazine for three years. However, by 1975, when Peretz became annoyed at having his own articles rejected for publication while he was pouring money into the magazine to cover its losses, he fired Harrison. Much of the staff, including Walter Pincus
Walter Haskell Pincus (born December 24, 1932) is an American national security journalist. He reported for ''The Washington Post'' until the end of 2015. He has won several prizes including a Polk Award in 1977, a television Emmy in 1981, and ...
, Stanley Karnow
Stanley Abram Karnow (February 4, 1925 – January 27, 2013) was an American journalist and historian. He is best known for his writings on the Vietnam War.
Education and career
After serving with the United States Army Air Forces in the China B ...
, and Doris Grumbach
Doris M. Grumbach ('' née'' Isaac; July 12, 1918 – November 4, 2022) was an American novelist, memoirist, biographer, literary critic, and essayist. She taught at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and ...
, was fired or quit and were replaced largely by recent Harvard graduates, who lacked journalistic experience. Peretz became the editor and served in that post until 1979. In 1980, it endorsed the moderate Republican John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent, rather than the Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
. As other editors were appointed, Peretz remained editor-in-chief until 2012.[
]
Kinsley and Hertzberg editorships, 1979–1991
Michael Kinsley
Michael E. Kinsley (born March 9, 1951) is an American political journalist and commentator. Primarily active in print media as both a writer and editor, he also became known to television audiences as a co-host on ''Crossfire''.
Early life and e ...
, a neoliberal, was editor (1979–1981, 1985–1989), alternating twice with the more leftleaning Hendrik Hertzberg (1981–1985; 1989–1991). Kinsley was only 28 years old when he first became editor and was still attending law school.[
Writers for the magazine during this era included the neoliberals ]Mickey Kaus
Robert Michael "Mickey" Kaus (; born July 6, 1951) is an American journalist, pundit, and author, known for writing Kausfiles, a "mostly political" blog which was featured on ''Slate'' until 2010. Kaus is the author of ''The End of Equality'' and ...
and Jacob Weisberg
Jacob Weisberg (born 1964) is an American political journalist, who served as editor-in-chief of The Slate Group, a division of Graham Holdings Company. In September 2018, he left Slate to co-found Pushkin Industries, an audio content company, ...
, along with Charles Krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer (; March 13, 1950 – June 21, 2018) was an American political columnist. A moderate liberal who turned independent conservative as a political pundit, Krauthammer won the Pulitzer Prize for his columns in ''The Washingt ...
, Fred Barnes, Morton Kondracke
Morton Matt Kondracke (; born April 28, 1939) is an American political commentator and journalist. He became well known due to a long stint as a panelist on ''The McLaughlin Group''. Kondracke worked for several major publications, serving for twen ...
, Sidney Blumenthal
Sidney Stone Blumenthal (born November 6, 1948) is an American journalist and political operative. A former aide to President Bill Clinton, he is a long-time confidant of Hillary Clinton and was formerly employed by the Clinton Foundation. As a ...
, Robert Kuttner
Robert L. Kuttner (; born April 17, 1943) is an American journalist and writer whose works present a liberal/progressive point of view. Kuttner is the co-founder and current co-editor of ''The American Prospect'', which was created in 1990 as a ...
, Ronald Steel
Ronald Lewis Steel (born March 25, 1931) is an American writer, historian, and professor. He is the author of the definitive biography of Walter Lippmann.
Biography
Ronald Steel was born in 1931 in Morris, Illinois outside of Chicago. He earn ...
, Michael Walzer, and Irving Howe
Irving Howe (; June 11, 1920 – May 5, 1993) was an American literary and social critic and a prominent figure of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Early years
Howe was born as Irving Horenstein in The Bronx, New York. He was the son of ...
.[
In the 1980s, the magazine generally supported President Ronald Reagan's anticommunist foreign policy, including his provision of aid to the Nicaraguan Contras. The magazine's editors also supported both the ]Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
and the Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
and, reflecting its belief in the moral efficacy of American power, intervention in "humanitarian" crises, such as those in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
and Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
during the Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from ...
.
It was widely considered a "must read" across the political spectrum. An article in ''Vanity Fair'' judged it "the smartest, most impudent weekly in the country" and the "most entertaining and intellectually agile magazine in the country." According to Alterman, the magazine's prose could sparkle and the contrasting views in its pages were "genuinely exciting." He added, "The magazine unarguably set the terms of debate for insider political elites during the Reagan era."[
The magazine won the respect of many conservative opinion leaders. Twenty copies were sent by messenger to the Reagan White House each Thursday afternoon. ]Norman Podhoretz
Norman Podhoretz (; born January 16, 1930) is an American magazine editor, writer, and conservative political commentator, who identifies his views as " paleo-neoconservative". called the magazine "indispensable, " and George Will
George Frederick Will (born May 4, 1941) is an American libertarian-conservative political commentator and author. He writes regular columns for ''The Washington Post'' and provides commentary for NBC News and MSNBC. Gold, Hadas (May 8, 2017)." ...
called it "currently the nation's most interesting and most important political journal." ''National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...
'' described it as "one of the most interesting magazines in the United States."[
Credit for its influence was often attributed to Kinsley, whose wit and critical sensibility were seen as enlivening, and Hertzberg, a writer for '']The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' and speechwriter for Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
.
Hertzberg and Kinsley alternated as editor and as the author of the magazine's lead column, " TRB from Washington." Its perspective was described as center-left in 1988.[Stephenson, D. Grier Jr., Bresler, Robert J., Freidrich, Robert J., Karlesky, Joseph J., editors, ''American Government'', New York: Harper & Row, 1988, , pp. 166, 171]
A final ingredient that led to the magazine's increased stature in the 1980s was its "back of the book" or literary, cultural and arts pages, which were edited by Leon Wieseltier
Leon Wieseltier (; born June 14, 1952) is an American critic and magazine editor. From 1983 to 2014, he was the literary editor of ''The New Republic''. He was a contributing editor and critic at ''The Atlantic'' until October 27, 2017, when the ...
. Peretz discovered Wieseltier, then working at Harvard's Society of Fellows, and installed him in charge of the section. Wieseltier reinvented the section along the lines of ''The New York Review of Books
''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...
'' and allowed his critics, many of them academics, to write longer, critical essays, instead of simple book reviews. Alterman calls the selection of Wieseltier "probably... Peretz's single most significant positive achievement" in running the magazine. Despite changes of other editors, Wieseltier remained as cultural editor. Under him the section was "simultaneously erudite and zestful," according to Alterman."[
]
Sullivan editorship, 1991–1996
In 1991, Andrew Sullivan, a 28-year-old gay, self-described conservative from Britain, became editor. He took the magazine in a somewhat more conservative direction, but the majority of writers remained liberal or neoliberal. Hertzberg soon left the magazine to return to ''The New Yorker''. Kinsley left the magazine in 1996 to found the online magazine '' Slate''.[
In 1994, Sullivan invited ]Charles Murray Charles Murray may refer to:
Politicians
*Charles Murray, 1st Earl of Dunmore (1661–1710), British peer
*Charles Murray (author and diplomat) (1806–1895), British author and diplomat
*Charles Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore (1841–1907), Scotti ...
to contribute a 10,000-word article, excerpted from his coauthored book ''The Bell Curve
''The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life'' is a 1994 book by psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray, in which the authors argue that human intelligence is substantially influenced by ...
''. The article, which contended that "African Americans score differently from whites on standardized tests of cognitive ability," proved to be very controversial and was published in a special issue together with many responses and critiques. The magazine also published a very critical article by Elizabeth McCaughey about the Clinton administration's health care plan. Alterman described the article as "dishonest, misinformed," and "the single most influential article published in the magazine during the entire Clinton presidency. James Fallows
James Mackenzie Fallows (born August 2, 1949) is an American writer and journalist. He is a former national correspondent for ''The Atlantic.'' His work has also appeared in '' Slate'', ''The New York Times Magazine'', ''The New York Review of Boo ...
of ''The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' noted the article's inaccuracies and said, "The White House issued a point-by-point rebuttal, which ''The New Republic'' did not run. Instead it published a long piece by McCaughey attacking the White House statement." Sullivan also published a number of pieces by Camille Paglia
Camille Anna Paglia (; born April 2, 1947) is an American feminist academic and social critic. Paglia has been a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1984. She is critical of many aspects of modern cultu ...
.[
]Ruth Shalit
Ruth Shalit Barrett (; born 1971) is an American freelance writer and journalist whose work has appeared in ''The New Republic'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''ELLE'', ''New York Magazine'' and ''The Atlantic''.
In 1999 she resigned from ''T ...
, a young writer for the magazine in the Sullivan years, was repeatedly criticized for plagiarism. After the Shalit scandals, the magazine began using fact-checkers during Sullivan's time as editor. One was Stephen Glass
Stephen Randall Glass (born September 15, 1972) is an American paralegal who previously worked as a journalist for ''The New Republic'' from 1995 to 1998, until it was revealed that many of his published articles were fabrications. An internal i ...
. When later working as a reporter, he was later found to have made up quotes, anecdotes, and facts in his own articles.[
]
Kelly, Lane, Beinart, Foer, Just editorships, 1996–2012
After Sullivan stepped down in 1996, David Greenberg and Peter Beinart
Peter Alexander Beinart (; born February 28, 1971) is an American liberal columnist, journalist, and political commentator. A former editor of ''The New Republic'', he has also written for ''Time'', ''The New York Times'', and ''The New York Revie ...
served jointly as acting editors. After the 1996 election, Michael Kelly served as editor for a year. During his tenure as editor and afterward, Kelly, who also wrote the TRB column, was intensely critical of Clinton.[ Writer ]Stephen Glass
Stephen Randall Glass (born September 15, 1972) is an American paralegal who previously worked as a journalist for ''The New Republic'' from 1995 to 1998, until it was revealed that many of his published articles were fabrications. An internal i ...
, who had been a major contributor under Kelly's editorship, was later shown to have falsified and fabricated numerous stories, which was admitted by ''The New Republic'' after an investigation by Kelly's successor, Charles Lane. Kelly had consistently supported Glass during his tenure, including sending scathing letters to those challenging the veracity of Glass's stories. (The events were later dramatized in the feature film '' Shattered Glass'', adapted from a 1998 report by H.G. Bissinger.)
Chuck Lane held the editor's position between 1997 and 1999. During Lane's tenure, the Stephen Glass
Stephen Randall Glass (born September 15, 1972) is an American paralegal who previously worked as a journalist for ''The New Republic'' from 1995 to 1998, until it was revealed that many of his published articles were fabrications. An internal i ...
scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
occurred. Peretz has written that Lane ultimately "put the ship back on its course," for which Peretz said he was "immensely grateful."[ Lane resigned after he learned that Peretz intended to replace him.
]Peter Beinart
Peter Alexander Beinart (; born February 28, 1971) is an American liberal columnist, journalist, and political commentator. A former editor of ''The New Republic'', he has also written for ''Time'', ''The New York Times'', and ''The New York Revie ...
, a third editor who took over when he was 28 years old,[ followed Lane. He served as editor from 1999 to 2006.
In the early 2000s, the ''TNR'' added Buzz weblogs ''&c.'', ''Iraq'd'', and ''Easterblogg'', replaced in 2005 with the sole blog ''The Plank''. ''The Stump'' was added in 2007 and covered the 2008 presidential election.
The magazine remained well known, with references to it occasionally popping up in popular culture. ]Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. She is the middle child and most accomplished of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa was born as a character in '' The Tracey Ullman ...
was once portrayed as a subscriber to ''The New Republic for Kids''. Matt Groening
Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
, the creator of ''The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
, once drew a cover for ''The New Republic''. In the pilot episode of the HBO series ''Entourage
An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
,'' which first aired on July 18, 2004, Ari Gold asks Eric Murphy
Eric "E" Murphy is a fictional character on the comedy-drama television series ''Entourage'', and is played by Kevin Connolly.
Fictional character biography
Eric, Vince Chase's best friend since they were six, works as Vince's manager. Vince ...
: "Do you read ''The New Republic''? Well, I do, and it says that you don't know what the fuck you're talking about."
Franklin Foer
Franklin Foer (; born July 20, 1974) is a staff writer at ''The Atlantic'' and former editor of ''The New Republic'', commenting on contemporary issues from a liberal perspective.
Personal life
Foer was born in 1974 to a Jewish family. He is t ...
took over from Beinart in March 2006. The magazine's first editorial under Foer said, "We've become more liberal.... We've been encouraging Democrats to dream big again on the environment and economics...."[ Foer is the brother of novelist ]Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer (; born February 21, 1977) is an American novelist. He is known for his novels ''Everything Is Illuminated'' (2002), ''Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'' (2005), ''Here I Am (novel), Here I Am'' (2016), and for his non-fict ...
, author of ''Everything Is Illuminated
''Everything Is Illuminated'' is the first novel by the American writer Jonathan Safran Foer, published in 2002. It was adapted into a film of the same name starring Elijah Wood and Eugene Hütz in 2005.
The book's writing and structure recei ...
'' (2002).
Other prominent writers who edited or wrote for the magazine in those years include senior editor and columnist Jonathan Chait
Jonathan Benjamin Chait () (born May 1, 1972) is an American pundit and writer for '' New York'' magazine. He was previously a senior editor at ''The New Republic'' and an assistant editor of '' The American Prospect''. He writes a periodic c ...
, Lawrence F. Kaplan
Lawrence F. Kaplan (born 1969) was editor of ''World Affairs'' and executive editor of ''The National Interest'', both foreign policy magazines. He is also distinguished visiting professor at the U.S. Army War College. He was formerly a senior ed ...
, John Judis
John B. Judis is an author and American journalist, an editor-at-large at ''Talking Points Memo'', a former senior writer at the ''National Journal'' and a former senior editor at ''The New Republic''.
Education
Judis was born in Chicago to a f ...
and Spencer Ackerman
Spencer Ackerman is an American journalist and writer. Focusing primarily on national security, he began his career at ''The New Republic'' in 2002 before writing for ''Wired'', ''The Guardian'' and ''The Daily Beast''.
He won a 2012 National ...
.[
]
Political stances under Peretz
''The New Republic'' gradually became much less left-wing under Peretz, which culminated in the editorship of the conservative Andrew Sullivan. The magazine was associated with the Democratic Leadership Council
The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was founded in 1985 and closed in 2011. Founded and directed by Al From, prominent members include Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton (who was elected president in 1992 and 1996), Delaware Senator Joe Biden ( ...
(DLC) and "New Democrats
New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturall ...
," such as Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
and Joseph Lieberman
Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for V ...
, who received the magazine's endorsement in the 2004 Democratic primary.
In the 21st century, the magazine gradually shifted left but was still more moderate and hawkish than conventional liberal periodicals. Policies supported by both ''The New Republic'' and the DLC in the 1990s were increased funding for the Earned Income Tax Credit
The United States federal earned income tax credit or earned income credit (EITC or EIC) is a refundable tax credit for low- to moderate-income working individuals and couples, particularly those with children. The amount of EITC benefit depends ...
program, the reform of the federal welfare system, and supply-side economics, especially the idea of reducing higher marginal income tax rates, which in the later Peretz years received heavy criticism from senior editor Jonathan Chait
Jonathan Benjamin Chait () (born May 1, 1972) is an American pundit and writer for '' New York'' magazine. He was previously a senior editor at ''The New Republic'' and an assistant editor of '' The American Prospect''. He writes a periodic c ...
.
Foreign policy stances under Peretz
''The New Republic's'' support for Israel, including conservative right-wing or Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sha ...
stances of the state, was a strong theme of the magazine from the beginning: "Support for Israel is deep down an expression of America's best view of itself." According to the journalism professor Eric Alterman
Eric Alterman (born January 14, 1960) is an American historian, journalist, author, media critic, blogger, and educator. He is a CUNY Distinguished Professor of English and Journalism at Brooklyn College and the author of eleven books. From 1 ...
:
Nothing has been as consistent about the past 34 years of ''The New Republic'' as the magazine's devotion to Peretz's own understanding of what is good for Israel.... It is really not too much to say that almost all of Peretz's political beliefs are subordinate to his commitment to Israel's best interests, and these interests as Peretz defines them almost always involve more war.
Unsigned editorials prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq expressed strong support for military action and cited the threat of facilities for weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natu ...
as well as humanitarian concerns. In the first years of the war, editorials were critical of the handling of the war but continued to justify the invasion on humanitarian grounds although they no longer maintained that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction posed any threat to the United States. In the November 27, 2006 issue, the editors wrote:
At this point, it seems almost beside the point to say this: ''The New Republic'' deeply regrets its early support for this war. The past three years have complicated our idealism and reminded us of the limits of American power and our own wisdom.
Peretz sells remaining shares and buys magazine back from CanWest
Until February 2007, ''The New Republic'' was owned by Martin Peretz, New York financiers Roger Hertog
Roger Hertog (born July 5,1941) is an American businessman, financier, and conservative philanthropist. Born and raised in The Bronx borough of New York City, New York, Hertog pursued a career in business, becoming president of Sanford Bernstei ...
and Michael Steinhardt
Michael H. Steinhardt (born December 7, 1940) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager, philanthropist, and former antiquities collector. In 1967, he founded a hedge fund, Steinhardt Partners which he ran until he closed it in 1995. After a ...
, and Canadian media conglomerate Canwest.
In late February 2007, Peretz sold his share of the magazine to CanWest, which announced that a subsidiary, CanWest Media Works International, had acquired a full interest in the publication. Peretz retained his position as editor-in-chief.
In March 2009, Peretz and a group of investors, led by the former Lazard executive Laurence Grafstein and including Michael Alter, bought the magazine back from CanWest, which was on the edge of bankruptcy. Frank Foer continued as editor and was responsible for the day-to-day management of the magazine, and Peretz remained editor-in-chief.
New format
Starting with the March 19, 2007 issue, the magazine implemented major changes:
* ''Decreased frequency'': the magazine went to publishing twice a month, or 24 times a year. This replaced the old plan of publishing 44 issues a year. The magazine described its publication schedule as "biweekly," with specified "skipped publication dates." There were ten of these in 2010.
* ''New design and layout'': Issues featured more visuals, new art and other "reader friendly" content. Warnock typeface throughout was accented by woodcut-style illustrations.
* ''More pages and bigger size'': Issues became bigger and contained more pages.
* ''Improved paper'': Covers and pages became sturdier.
* ''Increased newsstand price'': Although the subscription prices did not change, the newsstand price increased from $3.95 to $4.95.
* ''Website redesign'': The website offered more daily content and new features. Richard Just took over as editor of the magazine on December 8, 2010.
Chris Hughes ownership and editorial crisis, 2012–2016
On March 9, 2012, Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes (born November 26, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and author who co-founded and served as spokesman for the online social directory and networking site Facebook until 2007. He was the publisher and editor-in-chief of ''The New R ...
, co-founder of Facebook, was introduced as the ''New Republic'''s majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Under Hughes, the magazine became less focused on " The Beltway," with more cultural coverage and attention to visuals. It stopped running an editorial in every issue. Media observers noted a less uniformly pro-Israel tone in the magazine's coverage than its editorial stance during Peretz's ownership.
On December 4, 2014, Gabriel Snyder, previously of Gawker and Bloomberg, replaced Franklin Foer as editor. The magazine was reduced from twenty issues per year to ten and the editorial offices moved from Penn Quarter
Penn Quarter is a neighborhood east of Downtown Washington, D.C. and north of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Penn Quarter is roughly equivalent to the city's early downtown core near Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street NW, The definition of Downtown W ...
, Washington DC, to New York, where it was reinvented as a "vertically integrated digital-media company." The changes provoked a major crisis among the publication's editorial staff and contributing editors. The magazine's literary editor, Leon Wieseltier
Leon Wieseltier (; born June 14, 1952) is an American critic and magazine editor. From 1983 to 2014, he was the literary editor of ''The New Republic''. He was a contributing editor and critic at ''The Atlantic'' until October 27, 2017, when the ...
, resigned in protest. Subsequent days brought many more resignations, including those of executive editors Rachel Morris and Greg Veis; nine of the magazine's eleven active senior writers; legal-affairs editor Jeffrey Rosen; the digital-media editor; six culture writers and editors; and thirty-six out of thirty-eight contributing editors (including Paul Berman
Paul Lawrence Berman (born 1949) is an American writer on politics and literature.
His books include ''Terror and Liberalism'' ( a ''New York Times'' best-seller in 2003), ''The Flight of the Intellectuals'', ''A Tale of Two Utopias'', ''Power and ...
, Jonathan Chait, William Deresiewicz, Ruth Franklin, Anthony Grafton, Enrique Krauze, Ryan Lizza, Sacha Z. Scoblic, Helen Vendler, Sean Wilentz). In all, two-thirds of the names on the editorial masthead were gone.
The mass resignations forced the magazine to suspend its December 2014 edition. Previously a weekly for most of its history, it was immediately before suspension published ten times per year with a circulation of approximately 50,000. The company went back to publishing twenty issues a year, and editor Gabriel Snyder worked with staff to reshape it.
In the wake of the editorial crisis, Hughes indicated that he intended to stay with ''The New Republic'' over the long term, telling an NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
interviewer of his desire to make sure the magazine could produce quality journalism "hopefully for decades to come." He published an open letter about his "commitment" to give the magazine "a new mandate for a new century." However, on January 11, 2016, Hughes put ''The New Republic'' up for sale. In another open letter, he said, "After investing a great deal of time, energy, and over $20 million, I have come to the conclusion that it is time for new leadership and vision at The New Republic."
Win McCormack ownership, 2016–present
In February 2016, Win McCormack
Win McCormack is an American publisher and editor from Oregon.
He is editor-in-chief of ''Tin House'' magazine and Tin House Books, the former publisher of ''Oregon Magazine'', founder and treasurer of MediAmerica, Inc., and a co-founder of ''Mot ...
bought the magazine from Hughes and named Eric Bates, the former executive editor of ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', as editor. In September 2017, Bates was demoted from his leadership role to a masthead title of "editor at large." J.J. Gould J.J. Gould is a Canadian journalist, the founder and editor of '' The Signal'', and a member of the editorial advisory board for ''The Washington Monthly''. He is a former editor of ''The New Republic'', digital editor at ''The Atlantic,'' and staff ...
then served as editor for just over a year until December 2018. In November 2017, Hamilton Fish V
Hamilton Fish V (born September 5, 1951), also known as "Ham", is a U.S. publisher, social entrepreneur, environmental advocate, and film producer in New York City. He is currently the publisher and editor of the monthly independent political pe ...
, the publisher since McCormack's acquisition of the magazine, resigned amid allegations of workplace misconduct. Kerrie Gillis was named publisher in February 2019 and Chris Lehmann, formerly the editor in chief of ''The Baffler
''The Baffler'' is an American magazine of cultural, political, and business analysis. Established in 1988 by editors Thomas Frank and Keith White, it was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, until 2010, when it moved to Cambridge, Massachuse ...
'', was named editor April 9, 2019. Within months his management style faced public criticism for his hiring process of an Inequality Editor, posted on June 28. Within weeks, another scandal erupted, with Lehmann facing even harsher criticism from the public and the media for his decision to publish a controversial op-ed by Dale Peck
Dale Peck (born 1967) is an American novelist, literary critic, and columnist. His 2009 novel, '' Sprout'', won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult literature, and was a finalist for the Stonewall Book Award in the Children's ...
called "My Mayor Pete Problem." The op-ed was retracted, with Lehmann commenting in a separate statement: "The New Republic recognizes that this post crossed a line, and while it was largely intended as satire, it was inappropriate and invasive." In March 2021, it was announced that Lehmann would be departing his role as editor and would be replaced by Michael Tomasky
Michael John Tomasky (born October 13, 1960) is an American columnist, progressive commentator, and author. He is the editor of ''The New Republic'' and editor in chief of ''Democracy''. He has been a special correspondent for ''Newsweek'', ''T ...
.
Circulation
Print circulation in the 2000s
''The New Republic''s average paid circulation for 2009 was 53,485 copies per issue.
''The New Republic''s last reported circulation numbers to media auditor BPA Worldwide were for the six months ending on June 30, 2009.
Online
According to Quantcast
Quantcast is an American technology company, founded in 2006, that specializes in AI-driven real-time advertising, audience insights and measurement. It has offices in the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, United Kingdom, Ireland, Fran ...
, the ''TNR'' website received roughly 120,000 visitors in April 2008, and 962,000 visitors in April 2012. By June 9, 2012, the ''TNR'' website's monthly page visits dropped to 421,000 in the U.S. and 521,000 globally. As of April 16, 2014, the ''TNR'' website's Quantcast webpage contains the following messages: "This publisher has not implemented Quantcast Measurement. Data is estimated and not verified by Quantcast...," and "We do not have enough information to provide a traffic estimate...," and "Traffic data unavailable until this site becomes quantified." Demographically, data show that visitors tend to be well educated
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
(76% being college graduates, with 33% having a graduate degree), relatively affluent
Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an I ...
(55% having a household income of over $60,000 and 31% having a six figure income), white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
(83%), and more likely to be male (61%). Eighty two percent were at least 35 years old with 38% being over the age of 50.
Controversies
Michael Straight
''New Republic'' editor Michael Whitney Straight
Michael Whitney Straight (September 1, 1916 – January 4, 2004) was an American magazine publisher, novelist, patron of the arts, a member of the prominent Whitney family, and a confessed spy for the KGB.
Early life
Straight was born in New Yor ...
(1948 to 1956) was later discovered to be a spy for the KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
, recruited into the same network as Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess
Guy Francis de Moncy Burgess (16 April 1911 – 30 August 1963) was a British diplomat and Soviet agent, and a member of the Cambridge Five spy ring that operated from the mid-1930s to the early years of the Cold War era. His defection in 1951 ...
, Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby (1 January 191211 May 1988) was a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In 1963 he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring which had divulged British secr ...
, and Anthony Blunt. Straight's espionage activities began at Cambridge during the 1930s; he later claimed that they ceased during World War II. Later, shortly before serving in the Kennedy administration, he revealed his past ties and turned in fellow spy Anthony Blunt. In return for his cooperation, his own involvement was kept secret and he continued to serve in various capacities for the US Government until he retired. Straight admitted his involvement in his memoirs; however, subsequent documents obtained from the former KGB after the fall of the Soviet Union indicated that he drastically understated the extent of his espionage activities.
Ruth Shalit plagiarism
In 1995, writer Ruth Shalit
Ruth Shalit Barrett (; born 1971) is an American freelance writer and journalist whose work has appeared in ''The New Republic'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''ELLE'', ''New York Magazine'' and ''The Atlantic''.
In 1999 she resigned from ''T ...
was fired for repeated incidents of plagiarism and an excess of factual errors in her articles.
Stephen Glass scandal
In 1998, features writer Stephen Glass
Stephen Randall Glass (born September 15, 1972) is an American paralegal who previously worked as a journalist for ''The New Republic'' from 1995 to 1998, until it was revealed that many of his published articles were fabrications. An internal i ...
was revealed in a '' Forbes Digital'' investigation to have fabricated a story called "Hack Heaven". A ''TNR'' investigation found that most of Glass's stories had used or been based on fabricated information. The story of Glass's fall and ''TNR'' editor Chuck Lane's handling of the scandal was dramatized in the 2003 film '' Shattered Glass'', based on a 1998 article in '' Vanity Fair''.
Lee Siegel
In 2006, long-time contributor, critic, and senior editor Lee Siegel, who had maintained a blog on the ''TNR'' site dedicated primarily to art and culture, was revealed by an investigation to have collaborated in posting comments to his own blog under an alias aggressively praising Siegel, attacking his critics and claiming not to be Lee Siegel when challenged by an anonymous detractor on his blog. The blog was removed from the website and Siegel was suspended from writing for the print magazine. He resumed writing for ''TNR'' in April 2007. Siegel was also controversial for his coinage "blogofascists" which he applied to "the entire political blogosphere", though with an emphasis on leftwing or center-left bloggers such as Daily Kos
Daily Kos ( ) is a group blog and internet forum focused on the U.S. Democratic Party and liberal American politics. The site includes glossaries and other content. It is sometimes considered an example of " netroots" activism.
Daily Kos was ...
and Atrios
Duncan Bowen Black (born February 18, 1972), better known by his pseudonym Atrios , is an American liberal blogger living in Philadelphia. His weblog is called ''Eschaton''. Black was also a regular guest economics expert on Air America Radio ...
.
Spencer Ackerman
In 2006, associate editor Spencer Ackerman
Spencer Ackerman is an American journalist and writer. Focusing primarily on national security, he began his career at ''The New Republic'' in 2002 before writing for ''Wired'', ''The Guardian'' and ''The Daily Beast''.
He won a 2012 National ...
was fired by editor Franklin Foer. Describing it as a "painful" decision, Foer attributed the firing to Ackerman's "insubordination": disparaging the magazine on his personal blog, saying that he would "skullfuck" a terrorist's corpse at an editorial meeting if that was required to "establish his anti-terrorist ''bona fides'' and sending Foer an e-mail where he said—in what according to Ackerman was intended to be a joke—he would "make a niche in your skull" with a baseball bat. Ackerman, by contrast, argued that the dismissal was due to "irreconcilable ideological differences." He believed that his leftward drift as a result of the Iraq War and the actions of the Bush administration was not appreciated by the senior editorial staff. Within 24 hours of being fired by ''The New Republic'', Ackerman was hired as a senior correspondent for a rival magazine, ''The American Prospect
''The American Prospect'' is a daily online and bimonthly print American political and public policy magazine dedicated to American modern liberalism and progressivism. Based in Washington, D.C., ''The American Prospect'' says it "is devoted t ...
''.
Scott Thomas Beauchamp controversy
In July 2007, after ''The New Republic'' published an article by an American soldier in Iraq titled "Shock Troops", allegations of inadequate fact-checking were leveled against the magazine. Critics alleged that the piece contained inconsistent details indicative of fabrication. The identity of the anonymous soldier, Scott Thomas Beauchamp
The Scott Thomas Beauchamp controversy concerns the publication of a series of diaries by Scott Thomas Beauchamp (b. 1983 St. Louis, Missouri) – a private (rank), private in the United States Army, serving in the Iraq War, and a member of Alpha ...
, was revealed. Beauchamp was married to Elspeth Reeve, one of the magazine's three fact-checkers. As a result of the controversy, ''The New Republic'' and the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
launched investigations, reaching different conclusions.[Story, Louise (July 24, 2007)]
"Doubts Raised by 'Baghdad Diarist'
. ''The New York Times''. In an article titled "The Fog of War", published on December 1, 2007, Franklin Foer wrote that the magazine could no longer stand behind the stories written by Beauchamp.
Pete Buttigieg article
On July 12, 2019, gay writer Dale Peck
Dale Peck (born 1967) is an American novelist, literary critic, and columnist. His 2009 novel, '' Sprout'', won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult literature, and was a finalist for the Stonewall Book Award in the Children's ...
wrote an article for ''The New Republic'' critical of Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary candidate, in which he repeatedly referred to Buttigieg as "Mary Pete", which he described as the "gay equivalent of Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom is the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel, '' Uncle Tom's Cabin''. The character was seen by many readers as a ground-breaking humanistic portrayal of a slave, one who uses nonresistance and gives his life to prot ...
", saying, "Pete and I are just not the same kind of gay." The article went on to describe the candidate as a "fifteen-year-old boy in a Chicago bus station wondering if it's a good idea to go home with a fifty-year-old man so that he'll finally understand what he is." The piece was harshly received by some media figures and the center of controversy.
Editors
# Herbert Croly
Herbert David Croly (January 23, 1869 – May 17, 1930) was an intellectual leader of the progressive movement as an editor, political philosopher and a co-founder of the magazine ''The New Republic'' in early twentieth-century America. His pol ...
(1914–1930)
# Bruce Bliven (1930–1946)
# Henry A. Wallace (1946–1948)
# Michael Straight
Michael Whitney Straight (September 1, 1916 – January 4, 2004) was an American magazine publisher, novelist, patron of the arts, a member of the prominent Whitney family, and a confessed spy for the KGB.
Early life
Straight was born in New Yo ...
(1948–1956)
# Gilbert A. Harrison (1956–1975)
# Martin Peretz
Martin H. Peretz (; born December 6, 1938) is an American former magazine publisher and educator. Formerly an assistant professor at Harvard University, he purchased ''The New Republic'' in 1974 and assumed editorial control shortly afterwards. H ...
(1975–1979)
# Michael Kinsley
Michael E. Kinsley (born March 9, 1951) is an American political journalist and commentator. Primarily active in print media as both a writer and editor, he also became known to television audiences as a co-host on ''Crossfire''.
Early life and e ...
(1979–1981; 1985–1989)
# Hendrik Hertzberg (1981–1985; 1989–1991)
# Andrew Sullivan (1991–1996)
# Michael Kelly (1996–1997)
# Charles Lane (1997–1999)
# Peter Beinart
Peter Alexander Beinart (; born February 28, 1971) is an American liberal columnist, journalist, and political commentator. A former editor of ''The New Republic'', he has also written for ''Time'', ''The New York Times'', and ''The New York Revie ...
(1999–2006)
# Franklin Foer
Franklin Foer (; born July 20, 1974) is a staff writer at ''The Atlantic'' and former editor of ''The New Republic'', commenting on contemporary issues from a liberal perspective.
Personal life
Foer was born in 1974 to a Jewish family. He is t ...
(2006–2010; 2012–2014)
# Richard Just (2010–2012)
# Gabriel Snyder (2014–2016)
# Eric Bates (2016–2017)
# J.J. Gould J.J. Gould is a Canadian journalist, the founder and editor of '' The Signal'', and a member of the editorial advisory board for ''The Washington Monthly''. He is a former editor of ''The New Republic'', digital editor at ''The Atlantic,'' and staff ...
(2017–2018)
# Chris Lehmann (2019–2021)
# Michael Tomasky
Michael John Tomasky (born October 13, 1960) is an American columnist, progressive commentator, and author. He is the editor of ''The New Republic'' and editor in chief of ''Democracy''. He has been a special correspondent for ''Newsweek'', ''T ...
(2021–Present)
Before Wallace's appointment in 1946, the masthead listed no single editor in charge but gave an editorial board of four to eight members. Walter Lippmann
Walter Lippmann (September 23, 1889 – December 14, 1974) was an American writer, reporter and political commentator. With a career spanning 60 years, he is famous for being among the first to introduce the concept of Cold War, coining the te ...
, Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson Jr. (May 8, 1895 – June 12, 1972) was an American writer and literary critic who explored Freudian and Marxist themes. He influenced many American authors, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose unfinished work he edited for publi ...
, and Robert Morss Lovett
Robert Morss Lovett (December 25, 1870 – February 8, 1956) was an American academic, writer, editor, political activist, and government official.
Background
Lovett was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University i ...
, among others, served on this board at various times. The names given above are the first editor listed in each issue, always the senior editor of the team.
Notable contributors
1910s–1940s
* Eugene Szekeres Bagger Eugene Szekeres Bagger (born 1892) was a Hungarian-born, American critic and writer. He wrote articles on international politics and current affairs for publications such as the New York Times, Century, and the New Republic. In 1921, the New Republi ...
, author and essayist
* Ralph Bates
Ralph Bates (12 February 1940 – 27 March 1991) was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom '' Dear John'' and the original ''Poldark''.
Biography
Bates was born in Bristol, England. His parents were bo ...
, English writer and political activist
* John Dewey, essayist and philosopher
* W. E. B. Du Bois, writer, professor and sociologist
* Otis Ferguson
Otis Ferguson (August 14, 1907 – September 14, 1943) was an American writer best remembered for his music and film reviews in ''The New Republic'' in the 1930s.
Although he can be seen as a predecessor to film critics James Agee, Manny Farber, P ...
, film critic
* John T. Flynn
John Thomas Flynn (October 25, 1882 – April 13, 1964) was an American journalist best known for his opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and to American entry into World War II. In September 1940, Flynn helped establish the America Fi ...
, essayist and New Deal critic
* Learned Hand
Billings Learned Hand ( ; January 27, 1872 – August 18, 1961) was an American jurist, lawyer, and judicial philosopher. He served as a federal trial judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from 1909 to 1924 a ...
, Judge
* John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...
, economist
* Clara Littledale, writer on home and family life
* George Henry Soule Jr.
George Henry Soule Jr. (June 11, 1887 – April 14, 1970) was an American labor economist, author, and a long time editor and contributor to ''The New Republic''.
Background
George Soule was born in Stamford, Connecticut on June 11, 1887 and wa ...
, labor economist
* Agnes de Lima
Agnes de Lima (1887–1974) was an American journalist and writer on education, and a Progressive Era reformer.
Life
Agnes de Lima was born in Hollywood, New Jersey in 1887, and she grew up in Larchmont, New York and New York City. Her family ...
, lead writer on education
* Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...
, "Letter to Alexey Tolstoy (sent to Russia through Russian War Relief Inc.)" (1943)
* George Orwell, author and essayist
* Virginia Woolf, author and essayist
* Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson Jr. (May 8, 1895 – June 12, 1972) was an American writer and literary critic who explored Freudian and Marxist themes. He influenced many American authors, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose unfinished work he edited for publi ...
, assistant book reviewer
1943–1983
* John Beecher (poet), John Beecher, contributing writer
* Richard Strout, correspondent, ''The Christian Science Monitor'', "TRB (writer), TRB From Washington"
* Stark Young, drama critic, scholar, novelist, painter, contributing writer.
1950s–1970s
* Stanley Kauffmann, film critic (1958–2013)
* Reinhold Niebuhr, theologian
* L. Fletcher Prouty, former Chief of Special Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff
* Roger Rosenblatt
* Philip Roth, author
* Judd L. Teller, author, editor, poet
* Philip Terzian, author/editor
1980s–1990s
* Fred Barnes
* Eric Breindel[
* Jeane Kirkpatrick][
* Jacob Heilbrunn][
* ]Irving Howe
Irving Howe (; June 11, 1920 – May 5, 1993) was an American literary and social critic and a prominent figure of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Early years
Howe was born as Irving Horenstein in The Bronx, New York. He was the son of ...
* Robert Kagan[
* ]Morton Kondracke
Morton Matt Kondracke (; born April 28, 1939) is an American political commentator and journalist. He became well known due to a long stint as a panelist on ''The McLaughlin Group''. Kondracke worked for several major publications, serving for twen ...
[
* ]Charles Krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer (; March 13, 1950 – June 21, 2018) was an American political columnist. A moderate liberal who turned independent conservative as a political pundit, Krauthammer won the Pulitzer Prize for his columns in ''The Washingt ...
[
* Irving Kristol][
* Edward Luttwak][
* Michael Ledeen][
* Joshua Muravchik][
* Ronald Radosh][
]
1990s–present
* Fouad Ajami, professor of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University
* Scott Thomas Beauchamp
The Scott Thomas Beauchamp controversy concerns the publication of a series of diaries by Scott Thomas Beauchamp (b. 1983 St. Louis, Missouri) – a private (rank), private in the United States Army, serving in the Iraq War, and a member of Alpha ...
, freelance writer, soldier
* Paul Berman
Paul Lawrence Berman (born 1949) is an American writer on politics and literature.
His books include ''Terror and Liberalism'' ( a ''New York Times'' best-seller in 2003), ''The Flight of the Intellectuals'', ''A Tale of Two Utopias'', ''Power and ...
, essayist, author
* Simon Blackburn, philosopher
* Alan Brinkley, historian
* Jonathan Chait
Jonathan Benjamin Chait () (born May 1, 1972) is an American pundit and writer for '' New York'' magazine. He was previously a senior editor at ''The New Republic'' and an assistant editor of '' The American Prospect''. He writes a periodic c ...
, senior editor
* Jonathan Cohn, senior editor
* Michelle Cottle, senior editor
* Jerry Coyne, evolutionary biologist
* Michael Crowley (journalist), Michael Crowley, senior editor
* E. J. Dionne Jr., journalist
* Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist
* Niall Ferguson, historian
* Franklin Foer, journalist
* William Galston, political philosopher
* Stephen Glass
Stephen Randall Glass (born September 15, 1972) is an American paralegal who previously worked as a journalist for ''The New Republic'' from 1995 to 1998, until it was revealed that many of his published articles were fabrications. An internal i ...
, reporter fired by ''TNR'' for submitting fabricated stories, dramatized in the 2003 film '' Shattered Glass''
* J.J. Gould J.J. Gould is a Canadian journalist, the founder and editor of '' The Signal'', and a member of the editorial advisory board for ''The Washington Monthly''. He is a former editor of ''The New Republic'', digital editor at ''The Atlantic,'' and staff ...
, Canadian-American journalist
* David Grann, senior editor
* Melissa Gira Grant, writer
* David Greenberg, historian and journalist
* Blaine Greteman, professor at University of Iowa
* Matt Groening
Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
, illustrator and ''The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' creator
* Suki Kim, contributing editor
* Adam Kirsch, poet and critic
* Jacob Hacker, political scientist
* Johann Hari, British writer
* David Hazony, Israeli writer
* Jeet Heer, writer
* John Judis
John B. Judis is an author and American journalist, an editor-at-large at ''Talking Points Memo'', a former senior writer at the ''National Journal'' and a former senior editor at ''The New Republic''.
Education
Judis was born in Chicago to a f ...
, essayist
* Tony Judt, historian
* Jo Livingstone, culture staff writer
* Alvaro Vargas Llosa, writer
* John McWhorter, linguist and political commentator
* Dana Milbank, senior editor
* Sherwin B. Nuland, medical doctor and author
* Michael Oren, historian and author
* Camille Paglia
Camille Anna Paglia (; born April 2, 1947) is an American feminist academic and social critic. Paglia has been a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1984. She is critical of many aspects of modern cultu ...
, essayist
* Alex Pareene
Alex Pareene (born ) is an American journalist, writer, and editor. He was the editor of the online news magazine ''Gawker''. , former editor of '' Gawker''
* Dale Peck
Dale Peck (born 1967) is an American novelist, literary critic, and columnist. His 2009 novel, '' Sprout'', won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult literature, and was a finalist for the Stonewall Book Award in the Children's ...
, literary reviewer
* George Pelecanos, author
* Caryl Phillips, writer
* Steven Pinker, cognitive linguist and Harvard professor
* David Plotz, editor of '' Slate''
* Richard Rorty, philosopher
* Kent Russell, writer
* Richard Posner, federal judge
* Hanna Rosin, senior editor
* Noam Scheiber, senior editor
* Peter Scoblic, executive editor
* Amartya Sen, economist
* Alex Shephard, news editor
* Lee Siegel, cultural critic
* Zadie Smith, writer
* Joseph Stiglitz, economist
* Margaret Talbot, senior editor
* Richard Taruskin, musicologist
* Helen Vendler, literary critic
* Michael Walzer, philosopher, essayist, author
* Alan Wolfe, political scientist/ sociologist
* Gordon S. Wood, historian
* James Wood (critic), James Wood, literary critic
* Robert Wright (journalist), Robert Wright, journalist; former TNR senior editor and columnist
* Jason Zengerle, senior editor
References
Citations
Primary sources
* Groff Conklin, ed. ''New Republic Anthology: 1914–1935'', 1936.
* Cowley, Malcolm. ''And I Worked at the Writer's Trade'', 1978.
* Wickenden, Dorothy (1994). ''The New Republic Reader''.
Secondary sources
* Mott, Frank L. ''A History of American Magazines''. Vol. 3. Harvard University Press, 1960.
* Seideman, David. ''The New Republic: A Voice of Modern Liberalism'', 1986
* Steel, Ronald. ''Walter Lippmann and the American Century'', 1980
External links
*
''The New Republic'' Online
offering online subscription
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Republic, The
The New Republic,
Political magazines published in the United States
1914 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Modern liberal magazines published in the United States
News magazines published in the United States
Weekly magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1914
Magazines published in Washington, D.C.
Ten times annually magazines