Reimagining The Nation in Print
Reimagining “The Nation” in Print
Each new monthly issue will be much longer—with more room for hard-hitting investigative pieces and reporting that challenges corporate power and conventional wisdom.
As the last few weeks have made brutally clear, the gap between what is actually happening in the world and the terms allowed for discussion in the corporate media has never been wider. It’s no accident that Edward Said first became visible outside the academy in our pages, or that James Baldwin’s “Report From Occupied Territory,” Toni Morrison’s reminder that in moments of crisis “there is no time for despair…no room for fear,” and Tony Kushner’s “Socialism of the Skin” first appeared in The Nation. Or that we’re the first—and sadly, so far the only—US magazine to have a Palestine correspondent, Mohammed El-Kurd. The need for a publication dedicated to the radical possibility of “what might happen if you tell people the truth” has never been more urgent.
But as this special issue underlines, the current moment holds unprecedented peril for independent media. With newsstand space relentlessly shrinking and the casualty list of extinct titles growing with every passing month, The Nation faces the same imperatives as anyone else in this business.
As a magazine in continuous existence since 1865, from the invention of the telegraph to the arrival of TikTok, we have a proud legacy of evolution and reinvention. Now is no different. That’s why, both to survive in this industry and to give the subscribers and donors who support us more of what they say they want, we are reimagining our print edition.
Each new issue will be much longer—with more room for hard-hitting investigative pieces, reporting that challenges corporate power and conventional wisdom, and reviews and commentary on culture that aim to provoke active thought rather than solicit passive agreement. Space for open, civil debate on the left. Delivered at a monthly frequency that allows readers more time to enjoy what we publish in print, while at TheNation.com we continue to post the same nimble, responsive, authoritative reporting and analysis we already provide to millions of readers each month.
This shift will allow us to be more journalistically ambitious, creating space for both longer reads and a wider range of voices. We’re excited about the changes—which will start with our January issue. We hope you are, too, and we’d love to hear from you! Please direct any questions or suggestions to [email protected].
We cannot back down
We now confront a second Trump presidency.
There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.
Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.
Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.
The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”
I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.
Onwards,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation
