Current Affairs
Cover of the May/June 2020 issue
Editor-in-chiefNathan J. Robinson[1]
Legal editorOren Nimni[1]
Former editors
  • Nick Slater
  • Vanessa A. Bee
CategoriesPolitics, culture
FrequencyBimonthly
Circulation6,417[citation needed]
FounderNathan J. Robinson
Founded2015
CompanyCurrent Affairs, LLC
CountryUnited States
Based inNew Orleans, Louisiana
LanguageEnglish
Websitecurrentaffairs.org
ISSN2471-2647

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.

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. ^ a b "Current Affairs | Culture & Politics". currentaffairs.org. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.

External links

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