You've Got Questions ... We've Got Answers
What is The American Prospect?
The Prospect is a monthly print and online political magazine based in Washington, D.C.
What's your bent?
We're liberal, progressive, lefty—call it what you want, we're proud of it.
Why do you hate America?
We don't.
What's it mean to be a liberal magazine?
Good question. It doesn't mean all our contributors agree with each other, but we do share a broad commitment to working toward a society in which everyone gets a fair shot and is treated equally and with respect by our institutions. If you put our vision on a bumper sticker, it would read: Hey, We're in This Together or—according to our fans on Facebook—Hey, We Actually Care About People! You can read more about who we are here.
When was the Prospect founded?
1990
By whom?
Robert Kuttner, Paul Starr, and Robert Reich.
Why another liberal magazine?
When the Prospect was founded in 1990, conservatism—buoyed by a decade of Republican rule—was ascendent; under Reagan, income inequality ballooned. The founders felt that there was not a progressive publication focused on economic issues that was as interested in policy as it was politics. Since then, we've expanded our coverage to address broader issues of social justice—immigration, gay rights, women's rights. But we're still here 20 years later, smack dab at the nexus of politics and policy.
How can you be objective if you're liberal?
Our idea of journalism is different from the mainstream media's. We don't subscribe to the simple notion that IDEA + OPPOSITE IDEA = OBJECTIVITY. We get the numbers and the historical facts right, but we acknowledge that we bring a particular worldview to our work.
We try our best to represent conservative ideas fairly, even if we disagree with them, but you'll also notice our contributors often disagree most fiercely with each other. You won't see us arguing about whether or not someone without insurance deserves health care, but you will find us duking it out over the best way of providing it.
