From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones The magazine was named after Mary Harris Jones,
called Mother Jones[6], an Irish-American trade union ac-
tivist, opponent of child labor, and self-described "hell-
raiser." She was a part of the Knights of Labor[7], the In-
dustrial Workers of the World[7], the Social Democratic
Party[7], the Socialist Party of America[7], the United
Mine Workers of America[7], and the Western Federation
of Miners[7]. The stated mission of Mother Jones is to pro-
duce revelatory journalism that in its power and reach
informs and inspires a more just and democratic world.[8]
Mother Jones is published by the Foundation for Na-
tional Progress, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
Mother Jones and the FNP are based in San Francisco, with
other offices in Washington D.C. and New York.
Key editors
Mother Jones, cover dated July/August 2009
For the first five years after its inception in 1976, Mother
Editor-in-Chief Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery Jones operated with an editorial board, and members of
Categories Politics
the board took turns serving as managing editor for one-
year terms. People who served on the editorial team dur-
Frequency Bimonthly ing those years included Adam Hochschild, Paul Jacobs,
Total circulation 200,793[1] Deborah Johnson, Jeffrey Bruce Klein, Mark Dowie,
(2011) Amanda Spake, Zina Klapper, and Deirdre English.
In 1981, Deirdre English was named the magazine’s
First issue February 1976
first editor-in-chief, a position she held until 1986. A
Company Foundation For National Progress strong feminist, she brought women’s voices to the fore
in the magazine and oversaw considerable coverage of
Country USA
Central America, the Sandinistas, and the Contras. She al-
Language English so brought in Barbara Ehrenreich as a regular columnist.
Website www.motherjones.com Michael Moore, who had owned and published the
Flint-based "Michigan Voice" for ten years, followed Eng-
ISSN 0362-8841 lish and edited Mother Jones for several months. After be-
ing fired in the fall of 1986, Moore sued Mother Jones for
Mother Jones (abbreviated MoJo is an American indepen-
MoJo) US$2 million for wrongful termination, but settled with
dent news organization, featuring investigative and the magazine’s insurance company for US$58,000 – only
breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, US$8,000 over the initial offering. Moore felt that he did
human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nomi- not have a chance to shape the magazine. Many of the
nated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six articles that were printed during his time as editor were
times, including for General Excellence in 2001,[2] 2008,[3] articles that had already been commissioned by Deirdre
and 2010.[2] In addition, Mother Jones also won the On- English. An article by Paul Berman about Nicaragua,
line News Association Award for Online Topical Report- which was slightly critical of the Sandinistas, (Mother
ing in 2010[4] and the Utne Reader Independent Press Jones generally supported the Sandinistas) was one of
Award for General Excellence in 2011.[5] those articles commissioned by English. Moore did not
With a paid circulation of 200,000, Mother Jones mag- want to print it, but the magazine had made a commit-
azine is the most widely read liberal publication in the ment to Berman. The Nation columnist Alexander Cock-
United States. Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery serve burn believed the disagreement over the Berman article
as co-editors. Madeleine Buckingham has served as Chief was the sole reason of the firing, but Hochschild and oth-
Executive Officer and Steve Katz as Publisher since 2010. ers at the magazine denied this.[9][10]
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mother Jones (magazine)
For his part, Moore claimed in his 1989 documentary David Corn, a political journalist and former Wash-
film Roger & Me that he was terminated because he put ington editor for The Nation, is bureau chief of the mag-
the face of Ben Hamper on the cover of an issue, an act azine’s newly established D.C. bureau.[18] Other D.C. staff
of defiance after being refused an opportunity to write include Washington Monthly contributing editor
about the GM plant closings in his hometown of Flint, Stephanie Mencimer, former Village Voice correspondent
Michigan. James Ridgeway, and Suzy Khimm from The New Republic.
Books about Moore by Jesse Larner (Forgive Us Our
Spins: Michael Moore and the Future of the Left) and Roger
Rapoport (Citizen Moore: The Life and Times of an American
MotherJones.com
Iconoclast) extensively cover Moore’s difficult relation- In addition to stories from the print magazine,
ships with people during his brief editorship. MotherJones.com offers original reported content seven
Douglas Foster, an Emmy-winning TV producer and days a week. During the race In the 2008 election cam-
a writer who had covered labor issues for Mother Jones paign, MotherJones.com was the first to report John
in the 1970s, followed Moore. Foster’s magazine featured McCain’s "100 years in Iraq" comments.[19] Also in 2008,
regular columns from Molly Ivins, Roger Wilkins, and MotherJones.com was the first outlet to report on Beck-
Ralph Nader. During his tenure, the magazine excerpted ett Brown International, a security firm that spied on en-
Randy Shilts’ groundbreaking book, "And the Band vironmental groups for corporations.[20]
Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic." Winner of the 2005 and 2006 "People’s Choice" Webby
In the fall of 1992, Jeffrey Bruce Klein, one of the orig- Award for politics,[21] MotherJones.com has provided ex-
inal editorial team, returned as editor-in-chief, bringing tensive coverage of both Gulf wars, presidential election
an intense focus on Washington politics, including exten- campaigns, and other key events of the last decade.
sive coverage of Newt Gingrich, campaign finance, and Mother Jones began posting its magazine content on the
the tobacco industry. He was a frequent guest on radio Internet in November 1993, the first general interest
and television shows, spearheaded many collaborations magazine in the country to do so. A number of innovative
between the magazine and website, and brought comedi- uses of this new medium would follow. In the March/
an Paula Poundstone on as a regular columnist. April 1996 issue, the magazine published the first Mother
Roger Cohn succeeded Klein as editor-in-chief in Jones 400, a listing of the largest individual donors to fed-
1999. Cohn brought to the forefront environmental and eral political campaigns. In the print magazine, the 400
social justice stories from around the country. It was dur- donors were listed in order with thumbnail profiles and
ing his tenure that the 25-year-old Mother Jones won a the amount they contributed. On MotherJones.com (then
2001 National Magazine Award for General Excellence. known as the MoJo Wire) the donors were listed in a
Russ Rymer was named editor-in-chief in early 2005, searchable database.
and under his tenure the magazine published more es- In the 2006 election, MotherJones.com was the first
says and extensive packages of articles on domestic vi- to break stories on the use of robocalling,[22] a story that
olence (July/August 2005),[11] and the role of religion in was then picked up by TPM Muckraker and The New York
politics (December 2005).[12] Times. The Iraq War Timeline interactive database,[15] a
In August 2006, Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery continually-updated interactive online project, was nom-
were promoted from within to become co-editors of the inated for a National Magazine Award in 2006.[2] The site
magazine. Bauerlein and Jeffery, who had served as in- has also produced extensive special reports on the U.S.
terim editors between Cohn and Rymer, were also chiefly prison system and the state of the planet’s coral reefs.
responsible for some of the biggest successes of the mag-
azine in the past several years, including a package on
ExxonMobil’s funding of climate change "deniers" (May/
Mother Jones Radio
June 2005)[13] that was nominated for a National Launched on June 19, 2005, Mother Jones Radio was heard
Magazine Award for Public Interest reporting; a package on Air America Radio Sundays at 1:00 p.m. EST. The one-
on the rapid decline in the health of the ocean (March/ hour show was hosted by Angie Coiro and featured inter-
April 2006),[14] and the magazine’s massive Iraq War views and commentaries inspired by stories from Mother
Timeline interactive database.[15] Jones. Mother Jones Radio ended its production in early
The first post-baby boomer editors in the history of 2007.
Mother Jones, Bauerlein and Jeffery have used a new inves-
tigative team of senior and young reporters to increase References
original reporting, web-based database tools, and blog
commentary on MotherJones.com. The cover of their [1] "eCirc for Consumer Magazines". Audit Bureau of
first issue (November 2006) asked: "Evolve or Die: Can Circulations. June 30, 2011.
humans get past denial and deal with global warm- http://abcas3.accessabc.com/ecirc/
ing?"[16][17] magtitlesearch.asp. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mother Jones (magazine)
[2] ^ National Magazine Awards searchable database [16] "Mother Jones November/December 2006 Issue".
[3] MoJo Wins National Magazine Award Motherjones.com. http://www.motherjones.com/
[4] [1] toc/2006/11/index.html. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
[5] [2] [17] "Editors’ Note". Motherjones.com. November/
[6] Mother Jones Speaks: Speeches and Writings of a December 2006. http://www.motherjones.com/
Working-Class Fighter commentary/ednote/2006/11/editors_note.html.
[7] ^ [3], Mother Mary Harris Jones. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
[8] About Mother Jones [18] "Mother Jones Lures David Corn From The Nation".
[9] Cockburn, Alexander (1986-09-13). "Beat the Devil". The New York Observer. October 2, 2007.
The Nation (New York, New York: The Nation http://www.observer.com/2007/mother-jones-
Company L.P.): 198. ISSN 0027-8378. lures-david-corn-nation. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
[10] Hochschild, Adam; Hazen, Don et al.; Cockburn [19] "MotherJones Blog: McCain in NH: Would Be "Fine"
Alexander (1986-10-04). "Letters". The Nation (New To Keep Troops in Iraq for "A Hundred Years"".
York, New York: The Nation Company L.P.): 298, Motherjones.com. January 2008.
323–324. ISSN 0027-8378. http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/
[11] "Domestic Violence: A Special Report". archives/2008/01/6735_mccain_in_nh_wo.html.
Motherjones.com. July 2005. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
http://www.motherjones.com/news/featurex/ [20] "Exclusive: Cops and Former Secret Service Agents
2005/07/haven.html. Retrieved 2008-11-04. Ran Black Ops on Green Groups". Motherjones.com.
[12] "Contents". Motherjones.com. December 2005. April 2008. http://www.motherjones.com/news/
http://www.motherjones.com/toc/2005/12/ feature/2008/04/firm-spied-on-environmental-
index.html. Retrieved 2008-11-04. groups.html. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
[13] "As The World Burns". Motherjones.com. May [21] 10th Annual Webby Awards Nominees & Winners,
2005. http://www.motherjones.com/news/ 9th Annual Webby Awards Nominees & Winners
featurex/2005/05/world_burns.html. Retrieved [22] "Tales of a Push Pollster". Motherjones.com.
2008-11-04. October 2006. http://motherjones.com/politics/
[14] "The Last Days of the Ocean". Motherjones.com. 2006/10/tales-push-pollster. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
March 2006. http://www.motherjones.com/news/
featurex/2006/03/oceans_index.html. Retrieved
2008-11-04.
External links
[15] ^ "Lie By Lie". Motherjones.com. • MotherJones.com
http://www.motherjones.com/
bush_war_timeline/. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mother_Jones_(magazine)&oldid=463468324"
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• Publications established in 1976
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