Current Affairs (magazine)

Current Affairs is an American bimonthly magazine that discusses political and cultural topics from a left-wing perspective. It was founded by Nathan J. Robinson in 2015. The magazine is published in print and online, and also has a podcast.[2][3] It does not feature advertising, and is funded by subscriptions and donations.

Current Affairs
White text on black background in a serif font. The title in all-caps reads "CURRENT AFFAIRS". A subtitle, in italics and below the title, reads "A Magazine of Politics & Culture".
Editor-in-chiefNathan J. Robinson[1]
Legal editorOren Nimni[1]
Former editors
  • Nick Slater
  • Vanessa A. Bee
CategoriesPolitics, culture
FrequencyBimonthly
Circulation6,417
FounderNathan J. Robinson
Founded2015
CompanyCurrent Affairs, LLC
CountryUnited States
Based inNew Orleans, Louisiana
LanguageEnglish
Websitecurrentaffairs.org
ISSN2471-2647

Its political stances have been described as socialist,[4] progressive,[5] and broadly leftist.[6] The magazine's stated mission is "to produce the world's first readable political publication and to make life joyful again".[7] Its format is influenced by magazines such as Jacobin and Spy.[8]

History

Current Affairs started after a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015.[3]

On September 29, 2018, Current Affairs published an "exhaustive 10,000-word refutation" by Robinson of Brett Kavanaugh's testimony before the United States Senate.[9] Robinson was invited to discuss the article on the daily WBUR-FM show On Point.[10][11] He later released a video summarizing the article.[12]

On March 29, 2019, Current Affairs published an article by Robinson criticizing 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg that The New York Times later quoted.[13][14]

In August 2021, Current Affairs staffers accused Robinson of trying to fire staffers for attempting to organize the magazine as a worker-owned co-op.[4][15][16]

Finances and staffing

As of May 2020, Current Affairs used a subscription model for funding. It had two full-time staff members, a part-time administrative assistant, a full-time podcaster, and an incoming business manager.[2] Lyta Gold (a pseudonym) was formerly the managing editor.[2]

Content

As of 2020, many of Current Affairs's most popular articles were by Robinson. These included the article on Kavanaugh; the article "Just Stop Worrying And Embrace The Left", in which Robinson requested that Meghan McCain follow through on the article title;[17] and a 2016 essay critiquing Hillary Clinton as a weak candidate, which helped launch the magazine to prominence.[2]

References
  1. "Current Affairs | Culture & Politics". currentaffairs.org. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  2. Tedder, Michael (March 22, 2020). "Not All 'Bernie Bros' Are Angry Young Men. Meet Nathan J. Robinson". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  3. Gold, Michael (October 15, 2019). "Kickstarter Calls Itself Progressive. But About That Union". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  4. Gurley, Lauren Kaori (August 18, 2021). "Socialist Publication Current Affairs Fires Staff for Doing Socialism". Vice News. Motherboard. New York City. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  5. Garfield, Bob (August 5, 2016). "The Lesser Evil". On The Media. WNYC. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  6. "The Current Affair at Current Affairs Is That Everyone Has Been Fired". Gawker. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  7. "About". Current Affairs. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  8. Chayka, Kyle (March 23, 2017). "The Rise of the Hard Left". The Ringer. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  9. Uyehara, Mari (October 1, 2018). "All of Brett Kavanaugh's Lies". GQ. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  10. Robinson, Nathan J. (September 29, 2018). "How We Know Kavanaugh Is Lying". Current Affairs. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  11. "Did Brett Kavanaugh Lie Under Oath? The Cases For And Against". On Point. WBUR. October 4, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  12. Queally, Jon (October 2, 2018). "Here's a Very Smart and Informative Video Entitled "How We Know Brett Kavanaugh Is Lying"". Common Dreams. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  13. Burns, Alexander (April 14, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg's Focus: Storytelling First. Policy Details Later". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  14. Robinson, Nathan J. (March 29, 2019). "All About Pete". Current Affairs. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  15. Gitt, Tarpley (August 18, 2021). "The Current Affair at Current Affairs Is That Everyone Has Been Fired". Gawker.
  16. Best, Paul (August 18, 2021). "Socialist magazine Current Affairs staff 'effectively fired' for trying to organize worker co-op". Fox Business.
  17. Robinson, Nathan J. (July 25, 2018). "Just Stop Worrying And Embrace The Left". Current Affairs. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
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