Dear Friend,
The American media landscape in 2020 is about as dire as it has been in my lifetime. Numerous publications I grew up hoping one day to write for have ceased to exist—or, even worse, stagger on as zombified versions of their former selves, venerable brands attached to cheaply run content mills. It is a hostile environment for publications that wish to be political and argumentative, that wish both to take a side and call out the other one. In such an environment, a publication like The New Republic is probably more vital than it ever has been. I’m incredibly grateful to work at a magazine that takes its intellectual legacy seriously and that’s investing real resources in carrying out its mission of inquiry and persuasion. The New Republic has never shied from argument, in both the philosophical and combative senses of the word. I think, in its current form, it’s making the most interesting and urgent arguments out there. It’s an honor to work with colleagues who I believe to be among the sharpest thinkers—and best arguers—in the industry.
—Alex Pareene, TNR staff writer, The Soapbox |
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| Alex Pareene is a staff writer at The New Republic and co-host of TNR’s podcast “The Politics of Everything”. He has been writing about politics and media since he dropped out of college to work for Gawker in 2005. He has written for Salon, Splinter. He has also contributed to The Baffler, Columbia Journalism Review, and The Washington Post. |
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| | | | Commentary like Alex’s is what makes TNR more necessary than ever, and we depend on you to ensure progressive voices like his—and other independent journalists at TNR—have an outlet. |
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