We knew we wouldn’t make it to the end of the year without some more news about The New Republic. This morning, newly appointed editor in chief Gabriel Snyder outlined his vision for the future of the magazine.
The magazine’s future has been a hot topic this month. In early December, The New Republic announced that Mr. Snyder was replacing Franklin Foer as editor in chief as part of owner Chris Hughes’ effort to reinvent the venerable magazine as “a vertically integrated digital media company.” The news did not go over well. Much of the staff resigned.The January issue, which was about to close, was scrapped. Every one seemed to have an opinion about what, to many, was seen as the collapse of the 100-year-old magazine.
But in his editor’s letter today, Mr. Snyder reframed The New Republic‘s recent tumult as part of its legacy.
“The New Republic has always been both in love and at war with its prior self,” he wrote. “The magazine’s early decades were marked by abrupt ownership changes, unceremonious dismissals of editors, shifting policy positions, and uprooted headquarters, all accompanied by masthead upheavals.”
As part of the new mission, Mr. Snyder wrote, the magazine will include more diverse voices and opinions.
“As we revive one proud legacy of The New Republic—the launching of new voices and experts—those new voices and experts will be diverse in race, gender, and background,” Mr. Snyder wrote. “As we build our editorial staff, we will reach out to talented journalists who might have previously felt unwelcome at The New Republic. If this publication is to be influential, and not merely survive, it can no longer afford to represent the views of one privileged class, nor appeal solely to a small demographic of political elites.”
And in a tweet, Mr. Snyder announced a list of contributors:
https://twitter.com/gabrielsnyder/status/547059523757039616
