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Why We Are Here Today: A Letter from Chris Hughes

Home News: On January 28th we’re relaunching our magazine, website, and tablet app. As we bridge the new and old, I wanted to take a step back and reflect on where we’ve come in nine short months.

Since our founding in 1914, The New Republic has had a rich history of incubating great talent and surfacing thought-provoking ideas. From readers like Teddy Roosevelt to Herbert Hoover to JFK, The New Republic has always shaped some of the most important conversations in the country.

Last spring, I bought The New Republic because of this amazing history. My belief was, and always has been, that a democratic society needs a thriving and serious media to function well—one that is dedicated to provoking new ideas and new ways of approaching the important issues facing us today. Tailored for a smart, curious and socially aware audience, The New Republic embodies these journalistic ideals by going deeper than the headlines in a timely, unbiased fashion.

On day one I was greeted by an impressive roster of journalists—Jonathan Cohn, John JudisAlec MacGillisTimothy NoahNoam Scheiber and Leon Wieseltier, to name only a few. And over the past nine months, in the spirit of making our content richer, deeper, and more diverse, we have doubled our editorial staff to bring on the respected voices of Julia IoffeWalter KirnMichael KinsleyNoreen Malone, Judith Shulevitz, and Marc Tracy. These writers are backed by some of the most talented and dexterous editors in our field. In building this new team, we’ve placed an even bigger focus on exploring the worlds of society, culture, and big ideas—all alongside our political roots.

All this said, a big challenge faces us, just as it faces the publishing industry at large: adapting to how you actually read and consume content. In the spirit of serving our growing audience of readers better, we are overhauling our design—across the print magazine, website and tablet applications—to place less emphasis on generating clicks and more emphasis on clean, compelling reading environments that facilitate a collection of voices—including yours. We want you to enjoy access to our content anywhere and do so seamlessly, no matter the device. These changes will all debut at the moment of our relaunch on January 28th.

Thank you for your loyalty, support and shared commitment to thought-provoking content. Any progress we have made and will make in the future we owe to you. As a sign of our appreciation, sign up to get updates about our relaunch and free access to our completely redesigned app.