Why Independent Magazines Are Dying
The Liberal Patriot’s closure reveals how donor demands and foundation neglect threaten publications that challenge ideological orthodoxy.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, at 6pm Eastern, I am giving a webinar on the impact that artificial intelligence will have on democracy and public life at Johns Hopkins University. It is mostly meant for alumni of the university, but I was able to secure an invitation for readers of Persuasion. If you want to tune in, please register at this link.
The universe of publications that share an ideological affinity with Persuasion has just become smaller. A few months after I founded this magazine, John Halpin, Ruy Teixeira, Peter Juul, and Brian Katulis started The Liberal Patriot. All four had been prominent staffers of the Center for American Progress, the biggest left-of-center think tank in the United States. All four had come to chafe at the increasingly rigid ideological strictures put upon them by their colleagues. And all four recognized that Democrats would run the danger of losing to Donald Trump—as, disastrously, they did in 2024—if they were not able to moderate their positions and overcome the party’s tendency for groupthink.
There are important differences between Persuasion and The Liberal Patriot. We are advocates of a set of liberal principles, for which we fight without fear or favor: an open society, not a closed one; free speech, not censorship; liberty, not coercion. While the founders of The Liberal Patriot agree with us on all of these points, they viewed themselves more as the loyal opposition within the Democratic Party, their mission explicitly framed as helping the party win elections. We concentrate on big ideas and longer-form essays, often with a philosophical bent; they largely focused on questions of public policy and electoral strategy.
But for all of those differences, there was never any question in my mind that we were kindred spirits, and some of their leading voices made frequent guest appearances in our pages.
This makes it feel a little personal to learn about the struggles The Liberal Patriot has faced in maintaining its financial viability and its intellectual independence. As John Halpin revealed in a note on Substack, some of their donors made explicit ideological demands: “In TLP’s first year as a formal organization, I was given an ultimatum by a donor not to write about climate policy and politics anymore, and not to publish anyone else on the subject as well, b/c they didn’t like our criticisms of Democratic orthodoxy and strategic failures on the issue.” When he refused, his funding was pulled.
An even broader problem was the difficulty of attracting funders in the first place. American foundations spend enormous sums of money on promoting causes like democracy and civil discourse every year. But while they are willing to throw large sums of money at conferences and convenings, at grassroots organizations and voter registration drives, they are reluctant to fund the magazines that can actually get much-needed new ideas into broad circulation. And when they do fund such magazines, they nearly always want them to be firmly aligned with the worldview which prevails in one or another of America’s two major political parties.
At Persuasion, we have been somewhat luckier. I am deeply grateful that our donors have never put similar ideological blinders on us. (If they did, I would of course respond in much the way John did—by telling them to take a hike—even if it might eventually herald the end of this magazine.) We have always budgeted conservatively, and all of the content we bring to you each week is produced by a remarkably small team. So don’t worry: We are in no imminent danger of demise.
But the sorry fate of The Liberal Patriot has nevertheless taught me an important lesson. The only way for a non-profit magazine to stay strong and independent in the long run is to build up a circle of strong supporters who are willing to put their money where their values are. And that is why we will, over the course of the next months, start a campaign to raise a substantial portion of our budget from you, our most loyal readers.
This will involve asking more of you to become paying subscribers; it will also involve an appeal to those of you who can afford to do so to become Patrons of Persuasion, pledging a more significant contribution to help us survive—and thrive—over the long term.
I will write to you with more details about this campaign in the coming months. But today, I am asking those of you who don’t want Persuasion to suffer the same fate as The Liberal Patriot for two favors:
First, if you are interested in becoming a Patron of Persuasion, please register your interest here.
Second, if you are able to make a one-time donation, please follow this link or write to our Director of Operations at laura.berlind@persuasion.community. (We are a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, and all donations are tax-deductible.)
Oh, and if you are a philanthropist or program officer who recognizes the value that independent magazines like Persuasion bring to the fight for democratic values, and want to help us succeed, please do get in touch!
Thank you so much for your loyalty and your support. It means the world.
– Yascha
P.S: Ruy Teixeira has kindly agreed to come on The Good Fight to discuss why The Liberal Patriot is closing its doors, and what the Democratic Party needs to do to win back the trust of the American people; watch out for the episode tomorrow.
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Sorry if I'm repeating myself, but I am deeply sad at the demise of The Liberal Patriot. I have identified as a Democrat since the 1964 presidential election, but have been dismayed at the party's shift away from what I would term "liberal democratic" priorities. For what it's worth, I have upped my Persuasion subscription to Founding Member.
Yes, sad about the Liberal Patriot. I will miss especially Ruy Teixiera, but perhaps he will publish elsewhere.
A few months ago, I started my own blog, The Passionate Centrist by Marty Lowy. It is self-funded and independent, but I think my values in general accord with Persuasion's. Much of what I write about is not directly political or philosophical. It tends to be about finance and related subjects, since that is where my background is strongest. At this time, my posts are free. I would appreciate any help you can give me in building my subscribers list.