Twenty-two years in the past, The Atlantic made the tough choice to cut back the variety of print points revealed annually, dropping from 12 to 10, thus ending the run of what had been beforehand known as The Atlantic Month-to-month. The rise of the web, and The Atlantic’s incipient each day digital success, made this appear, I’m positive, like an apparent, unavoidable alternative. However the historical past of our journal is stuffed with improbabilities, and at present, extra individuals subscribe to our print journal than at any time since its delivery in 1857.
It is for that reason (amongst others) that we’ve determined to revive The Atlantic to month-to-month print publication, starting in January. I’m totally conscious of the broader, and miserable, developments within the journal enterprise, and in journalism usually. However The Atlantic continues to develop, primarily as a result of the perfect editorial crew in our business produces wonderful journalism each day, and since we get to work in partnership with the perfect enterprise, promoting, circulation, and product groups within the nation. The choice to revive our print publication frequency to pre-internet ranges was not made evenly, but it surely additionally appeared logical, given the energy and attain of our journal, and the huge acclaim it receives. We consider that our readers, subscribers, and journalists will profit from a return to month-to-month publication, and we consider that this transfer will profit all of our platforms.
This has been, up to now, an excellent 12 months for The Atlantic. We crossed the million-subscription threshold; we turned worthwhile once more after working within the purple for a number of years; we received our third consecutive Nationwide Journal Award for Basic Excellence, one thing no different journal has completed on this century; and we’ve revealed tales of unparalleled influence and class. However as I mentioned earlier this 12 months, I’ve by no means believed that resting on our laurels was an choice, for greater than an extended weekend. We’ve a vital mission, and we’re in an unforgiving enterprise, and so we have now to proceed to develop and innovate and outpace the competitors every day.
As we improve our funding within the print publication, we’re additionally taking steps to strengthen our journalism throughout the board. As you all know, we lately dedicated to increasing the expansion and attain of our well being protection, and three wonderful employees writers have simply began with us. One new initiative I want to share with you at present is a dramatic new dedication to report tales on the intersection of nationwide protection, expertise, and world battle. We are going to share particulars of this new funding within the weeks to return, and my hope is that The Atlantic turns into the premier vacation spot for readers looking for schooling and illumination in these areas. We’re already an essential supply for the neatest protection of expertise, AI, and overseas coverage; this new dedication will assure that we keep very far forward of the pack. The Atlantic has an extended custom of journalistic excellence in these areas: Nathaniel Hawthorne was the journal’s Civil Battle correspondent; Alfred Thayer Mahan invented the concept of a worldwide navy in our pages; Martha Gellhorn lined World Battle II for The Atlantic; Einstein and Oppenheimer argued about atomic conflict in essays and articles; essays by Niebuhr, Du Bois, and Kennan, amongst others, modified and challenged conceptions of American energy.
This requires quite a lot of work and creativity on the a part of each unit of this firm, however I am assured that our groups can meet the challenges forward. Nick and I are already fascinated with the type of influence and attain The Atlantic may have after we purchase our two millionth subscriber.
We’re all stewards of this nice American establishment, and I contemplate myself fortunate to have colleagues who take this duty, and our mission, so significantly.