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Here at the Washington Monthly, our cardinal mission is to help you see the clockwork of government, politics, and public life more clearly. But we also have another big calling: minting great editors and writers and sending them out into the world. Over the course of its 40 years, the Monthly has launched the careers of an uncanny number of the nation’s best journalists. Here are some choice words from just a tiny few of our former staffers (if you heard from all of them, we’d be here awhile):
“Most of the good things I’ve learned about journalism I learned at the Washington Monthly. And only a few of the bad! Under Charlie Peters and now Paul Glastris, the Washington Monthly has been an indispensable institution for explaining public life and training young journalists how to do so.” — James Fallows, national correspondent at The Atlantic, former speechwriter for Jimmy Carter.
“The Washington Monthly is an indispensable source on what’s really going on in the American political system: passionate, knowledgable, intellectually honest, and interested in the real story of how this society is governed, not the shouting and spin.” — Nicholas Lemann, staff writer at the New Yorker and dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
“The Washington Monthly tackles the Beltway from a rare, arguably unique, perspective: clear-eyed enough to explain how government really works yet idealistic enough to keep fighting for how it should work.” — Michelle Cottle, senior editor at The New Republic and Washington reporter for the Daily Beast.
“The Washington Monthly teaches a desperately needed lesson for a cynical era. It reminds us that to uphold and refine free government is the core challenge of American patriotism.” — Taylor Branch, Pulitzer prize-winning author of America in the King Years and >The Clinton Tapes.
“Policy journalism is better than it’s ever been in Washington, and that state of affairs owes a great deal to the Washington Monthly—a magazine that was teaching young beltway journalists to care more about CBO charts than sex scandals before most of today’s bloggers were even born.” —Charles Homans, special correspondent for The New Republic.
That’s right: if you value policy reportage in particular and serious journalism in general, you should support the Washington Monthly! You could help launch the career of the next Jonathan Alter, Katherine Boo, Gregg Easterbrook, James Bennett, Benjamin Wallace-Wells, Nicholas Confessore, Joshua Green, Jason DeParle… you get the idea. At the very least, you’ll support the daily dose of fresh thinking you get from this blog and the deep, clear thinking we aim to provide consistently in the magazine. We’re in the midst of our annual year-end fundraising drive, so click here and toss in a few bucks—$10, $20, $30, $50, whatever you can afford. Donations to the Monthly are tax-deductible—we’re a non-profit outfit, and really appreciate and rely on the help we get from readers to continue to do what we do.
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Spiny Norman on December 30, 2011 4:48 PM:
Gregg Easterbrook, has arguably done more to set back the cause of good science writing than any living human. As a working scientist I'd pay at least $1000 to not launch the career of the next Gegg Easterbrook. Actually, $1000 would be a bargain.
chi res on December 30, 2011 4:52 PM:
Here at the Washington Monthly, our cardinal mission
Speaking of cardinals, did everyone see how Francis George of Chicago spent his holidays?
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/12/gay-pride-a-kkk-rally.html
Aris on December 30, 2011 4:56 PM:
Gregg Easterbrook?? I totally second Spiny Norman. Easterbrook should be an embarrassment. I can't believe you're taking credit for this simpleton.
exlibra on December 30, 2011 6:09 PM:
Don't know anything about Easterbrook and his writings but, Jonathan Alter? The guy who thinks that Obama is teflon, to whom no scandal sticks for unfathomable reasons (and it never occurs to him that there is no scandal *to* stick)? *That* Alter?
And Nick Confessore? I've just recently began to notice his byline in the NYTimes and the reason I noticed is that pretty much every time he writes, I get an acid reflux. Pfui.
low-tech cyclist on December 31, 2011 6:37 AM:
What Spiny Norman said about Easterbrook.
Let me add that Peter Moskos' article in the Monthly desiring to see criminals whipped - which was wrong on four or five different levels in addition to the sheer moral repugnance of the idea - really upset me, and continues to do so.
I've subscribed off and on for 20 years, and contributed in response to other fundraisers along the way, but until I see an apology from the editors for that one, my wallet's shut.
RhZ on December 31, 2011 11:38 AM:
Spiny for the win!!
No to milquetoast conservatism from the likes of Easterbrook. Seriously, that guy's writing is not harmless and should not appear under the WM banner.