Why the threat of The American Prospect's demise matters to all of us, as explained by E. J. Dionne Jr.

To donate, here's the link.

"[O]pinion magazines, from libertarian to socialist, have cluttered every place I have ever lived. Such publications are about more than brisk polemics. They can change the world. That's what William F. Buckley Jr. did when he started National Review in 1955. He and his writers provided the arguments and ideas that revitalized American conservatism. Its work led, eventually, to Ronald Reagan's victory in 1980. I mourn the result but still admire Buckley’s daring. . . .

"[A]t a moment when the political debate is excessively influenced by tens of millions of dollars spent by super PACs on short, nasty ads, you’d think we could spare a little for places like the Prospect that encourage us to think."

-- E. J. Dionne Jr., in his WaPo column today, "The
American Prospect, a little journal that looms large"

"As a founding editor of The American Prospect, I have never written a column like this one, and I hope never to write another."

-- Robert Kuttner, in "Hard Times, Scary Prospects,"
on the Prospect website

by Ken

This is embarrassing. Here I've been reading for weeks -- as I suspect you have too -- about the imminent financial peril of The American Prospect and not done a darned thing about it, and now E. J. Dionne Jr. writes a column on the subject, and here I am on the soapbox. Well, whatever it takes.

Predictably, E.J. is kinder and gentler, and more open-minded, than I would be. I think Bill Buckley was a hateful monster who should burn in hellfire for eternity -- and at the same time I consider him a saint compared with the dribbling pseudo-intellectual right-wing doodybrains he paved the way for.

Whatever their merits, right-wing rags have access to barrels o' cash from economic predators whose deep pockets are overflowing in good part thanks to predator-friendly laws and government (non)regulation that can be thought of as "return on investment" for chunks of said cash.

He manages ingeniously to let slip early on the fact that he has "occasionally written" for The American Prospect. So let no one accuse him of an undeclared interest in the subject. Of course, to me this disclosed relationship merely speaks well for both the magazine and teis particular occasional contributor. Then he explains his real interest in the magazine's present crisis.

My interest here is, in part, unabashedly political, since I think it's important for our country to have a vibrant publication devoted to an egalitarian brand of liberalism that honors the social contributions of a strong labor movement and values good reporting and writing.

The maddening aspect of the Prospect's crisis is that it has been innovative in dealing with the new online world that, as an opinion-lover, I also appreciate (even if I would insist that opinionated writing can never substitute for the relentless daily reporting of the traditional news outlets). The magazine gave a start or a big push to some of the best younger progressive writers now gracing us with their views. They include Ezra Klein, Matt Yglesias, Jonathan Cohn, Kate Sheppard, Dana Goldstein, Laura Secor and Jonathan Chait. My Post colleague Harold Meyerson is a writer and editor for the Prospect.

The Prospect was founded in 1990 by Robert Kuttner, Paul Starr and Robert Reich partly to provide intellectual competition from the other political shore to the neoconservative Public Interest. (I still have the first issues of both.) It blossomed into a magazine that honors and invests in long-form journalism, "the deeply reported piece that requires a huge amount of time and effort from a writer," says Kit Rachlis, the magazine's current editor. "There’s a strong need for this in the age of Twitter," argues Rachlis, who had successful stints at Los Angeles magazine, LA Weekly and the Village Voice, "since print venues for long form have been dwindling." No kidding.

The progressive think tank Demos came in as a partner with the magazine in early 2010, but the Prospect is now threatened by debts it needs to pay off quickly. And there is some happy news here that marries the new tech world with an old-fashioned sense of community: Rachlis says that since word of the journal's crisis got out, more than 900 people have contributed $133,000. But it will need more to survive. . . .

Here's a portion of what one of the founders, Bob Kuttner, has to say about the crisis on the Prospect website:

As a founding editor of The American Prospect, I have never written a column like this one, and I hope never to write another.

The Prospect could cease publication if we don't bridge a serious funding gap.

Specifically, we need half a million dollars, and we need it by the end of May. We are pulling out all the stops on an emergency fundraising drive. We are cutting costs significantly and have notified our staff that, unless we raise this money, the July/August issue could be our last. . . .

Why the emergency?

Unlike right-wing media organizations and think tanks, where Rupert Murdoch or the Koch brothers just write the editors a check, the Prospect has never had a single “angel” and has always depended on a broad array of donors.

But this is not a typical year. Among other factors, the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, allowing unlimited political donations, keeps reverberating in toxic ways. In this crucial election year, several of our friends have told us that every spare nickel is going to help elect progressives. . . .

The irony is that if we can finance this temporary gap, we're in great shape going forward. Our new publisher, Jay Harris, working with [editor] Kit [Rachlis], has developed a superb plan to make an enhanced magazine available on tablet readers. This will incorporate audio and video, expand readership, and save costs on paper.

But first, we have to survive the summer.

So this is a onetime urgent appeal, and it is a true emergency. Otherwise, I would not be sending out an all-points bulletin. Issuing a call like this is risky, because bad news tends to spread, and distress can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We have no choice but to succeed.

For 22 years, The American Prospect has been a beacon of smart progressive journalism. . . . At this critical moment for America, we cannot afford to lose one of the country's flagship progressive magazines. Wouldn't the right just love that?

You can mail donations to: The American Prospect, 1710 Rhode Island Avenue NW, 12th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036. Or you can donate online at https://prospect.org/donate.

I’ve been at this for 22 years, since Paul Starr, Bob Reich, and I founded the Prospect in 1990 as a quarterly. I suspect some of you have been readers from the first issue. Before I hang it up, I’d like to pass the Prospect along to the next generation, stronger than ever.

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