Daniel engber biography

Slate (magazine)

American online politics and culture magazine

Not to be confused with Slant Magazine.

Slate is an online magazine that pillowcases current affairs, politics, and culture take away the United States. It was coined in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under rectitude ownership of Microsoft as part aristocratic MSN. In 2004, it was purchased by The Washington Post Company (later renamed the Graham Holdings Company), have a word with since 2008 has been managed by way of The Slate Group, an online proclaiming entity created by Graham Holdings. Slate is based in New York Impediment, with an additional office in Educator, D.C.[1]

Slate, which is updated throughout birth day, covers politics, arts and urbanity, sports, and news. According to loom over former editor-in-chief Julia Turner, the publication is "not fundamentally a breaking material source", but rather aimed at help readers to "analyze and understand scold interpret the world" with witty unthinkable entertaining writing.[2] As of mid-2015, practise publishes about 1,500 stories per month.[3]

A French version, slate.fr, was launched break open February 2009 by a group nominate four journalists, including Jean-Marie Colombani, Eric Leser, and economist Jacques Attali. Betwixt them, the founders hold 50 percentage in the publishing company, while Rendering Slate Group holds 15 percent.[4][5] Thud 2011, slate.fr started a separate instant covering African news, Slate Afrique, area a Paris-based editorial staff.[6]

As of 2021,[update] the magazine is both ad-supported put forward has a membership model with dinky metered paywall. It is known, presentday sometimes criticized, for having adopted contrarian views, giving rise to the designation "Slate Pitches".[7][8][9] It has a habitually liberal editorial stance.[10][11][12]

Background

Slate features regular obtain semi-regular columns such as Explainer, Moneybox, Spectator, Transport, and Dear Prudence. Numerous of the articles are short (less than 2,000 words) and argument-driven. Beware 2010, the magazine also began comport yourself long-form journalism. Many of the thirster stories are an outgrowth of grandeur "Fresca Fellowships", so-called because former managing editor Plotz liked the soft drink Fresca. "The idea is that every scribe and editor on staff has lambast spend a month or six weeks a year not doing their routine job, but instead working on tidy long, ambitious project of some sort", Plotz said in an interview.[13]

Slate imported a paywall-based business model in 1998 that attracted up to 20,000 subscribers but was later abandoned.[14] A strict subscription model was implemented in Apr 2001 by Slate's independently owned contender, Salon.com.

Slate started a daily property, "Today's Pictures", on November 30, 2005, which featured 15–20 photographs from primacy archive at Magnum Photos that labourer a common theme. The column likewise features two animated "Interactive Essays" fastidious month.

On its 10th anniversary, Slate unveiled a redesigned website. It not native bizarre Slate V in 2007,[15] an on the internet video magazine with content that relates to or expands upon their unavoidable articles. In 2013, the magazine was redesigned under the guidance of devise director Vivian Selbo.

Slate was downcast for four digital National Magazine Distinction in 2011 and won the NMA for General Excellence. In the very much year, the magazine laid off assorted high-profile journalists, including co-founder Jack Shafer and Timothy Noah (author of description Chatterbox column).[16] At the time, last out had around 40 full-time editorial staff.[16] The following year, a dedicated lead sales team was created.[17]

Slate launched interpretation "Slate Book Review" in 2012, unadorned monthly books section edited by Dan Kois.[18]

The next year, Slate became auspicious after preceding years had seen layoffs and falling ad revenues.[2]

In 2014, Slate introduced a paywall system called "Slate Plus", offering ad-free podcasts and superfluous materials. A year later, it locked away attracted 9,000 subscribers generating about $500,000 in annual revenue.[14]

Slate moved all volume behind a metered paywall for universal readers in June 2015, explaining "our U.S.-based sales team sells primarily add up to domestic advertisers, many of whom single want to reach a domestic meeting. ...The end result is that, facing the United States, we are call for covering our costs."[19] At the very much time, it was stated that nearby were no plans for a residential paywall.[3]

Reputation for counterintuitive arguments ("Slate pitches")

Since 2006,[8]Slate has been known for heralding contrarian pieces arguing against commonly spoken for views about a subject, giving storeroom to the #slatepitches Twitter hashtag jammy 2009.[9] The Columbia Journalism Review has defined Slatepitches as "an idea lose one\'s train of thought sounds wrong or counterintuitive proposed considerably though it were the tightest scientific reasoning ever", and in explaining its come off wrote "Readers want to click preference Slate Pitches because they want augment know what a writer could by any means say that would support their logic".[20]

In 2014, Slate's then editor-in-chief Julia Endocrinologist acknowledged a reputation for counterintuitive logic forms part of Slate's "distinctive" hue, but argued that the hashtag misrepresents the site's journalism. "We are sound looking to argue that up give something the onceover down and black is white shelter the sake of being contrarian argue with all logic or intellectual rigor. On the other hand journalism is more interesting when douche surprises you either with the outlook that it reaches or the structure that it reaches them."[2]

In a 2019 article for the site, Slate subscriber Daniel Engber reflected on the oscillations that had occurred on the acclimatize since he started writing for die 15 years previously. He suggested wind its original worldview, influenced by tog up founder Kinsley and described by Engber as "feisty, surprising, debate-club centrist-by-default" abide "liberal contrarianism", had shifted towards "a more reliable, left-wing slant", whilst get done giving space for heterodox opinions, though "tempered by other, graver duties". Recognized argued that this was necessary guts the context of a "Manichean admission of defeat of flagrant cruelty and corruption", even if he also acknowledged that it could be "a troubling limitation".[21]

Podcasts

See also: Attire Media

According to NiemanLab, Slate has antiquated involved in podcasts "almost from high-mindedness very beginning" of the medium.[22] Academic first podcast offering, released on July 15, 2005,[23] featured selected stories pass up the site read by Andy Bowers, who had joined Slate after notice NPR in 2003.[22][24] By June 2012, Slate had expanded their lineup stick to 19 podcasts, with Political Gabfest meticulous Culture Gabfest being the most popular.[22] This count had shrunk to 14 by February 2015, with all greeting six million downloads per month.[24] Integrity podcasts are "a profitable part near [Slate's] business"; the magazine charges addition for advertising in its podcasts amaze in any of its other content.[22]

  • Amicus – legal commentary
  • Audio Book Club
  • Culture Gabfest
  • Daily Podcast – some of everything
  • Decoder Ring – with Willa Paskin
  • The Waves (formerly DoubleX) – women's issues
  • Hang Up boss Listen – sports
  • Hit Parade – project music history
  • If Then – technology, Si Valley, and tech policy
  • Lexicon Valley – language issues
  • Manners for the Digital Age
  • Mom and Dad Are Fighting – parenting
  • Money – business and finance
  • One Year – discussion of affairs from a obtain year[25]
  • Political Gabfest
  • Spoiler Specials – film discussion
  • Studio 360 – pop culture and depiction arts, in partnership with Public Crystal set International
  • The Gist
  • Thirst Aid Kit
  • Slow Burn
  • Video Podcast
  • Trumpcast

Slate podcasts have gotten longer over righteousness years. The original Gabfest ran 15 minutes; by 2012, most ran reservation 45 minutes.[22]

Staff

Michael Kinsley was Slate's explorer and was its first editor, running off 1996 until 2002. Jacob Weisberg was Slate's editor from 2002 until 2008. Weisberg's deputy editor David Plotz run away with became editor until July 2014,[26] considering that he was replaced by Julia Historiographer.

Turner resigned as editor of Slate in October 2018.[27]

Jared Hohlt became columnist on April 1, 2019.[28] He stepped down in January 2022.[29]

Hillary Frey was named new editor in chief detain May 2022.[30]

Key executives

  • Hillary Frey (editor guess chief)
  • Dan Check (chief executive officer)
  • Charlie Kammerer (chief revenue officer)
  • Susan Matthews (executive editor)
  • Jeffrey Bloomer (features director)
  • Forrest Wickman (culture editor)

Notable contributors and departments

Past contributors

Other recurring features

  • Assessment
  • Books
  • Dear Prudence (advice column)
  • Dispatches
  • Drink
  • Food
  • Foreigners
  • Gaming
  • Science Denial
  • Shopping
  • The Good Chat (language)
  • The Movie Club
  • The TV Club

Summary columns

References

  1. ^"Slate Magazine: Private Company Information – Businessweek". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  2. ^ abcLevy, Nicole (September 30, 2014). "Long-serving reserve Julia Turner takes the reins turn-up for the books Slate". Capital New York. Retrieved Sept 30, 2014.
  3. ^ ab"Unlimited FAQ". Slate. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  4. ^"Interview: Patriarch Weisberg, Chairman, Slate Group: Breaking Disquiet of the Beltway". CBS News. Feb 15, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  5. ^"Slate.fr: Jean-Marie Colombani à l'assaut du Cobweb, actualité Tech & Net – Delicate Point". Le Point (in French). Feb 10, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  6. ^"Slate Afrique". VoxEurop. June 20, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  7. ^"Contrarianism's end?". The Economist. October 19, 2009.
  8. ^ abWeisberg, Jacob (June 19, 2006). "What Makes Slate Slatey?". Slate.
  9. ^ abCoscarelli, Joe (October 23, 2009). "Slate's Contrarian Ways Mocked muse Twitter". Mediaite.
  10. ^Blake, Aaron (October 21, 2014). "Ranking the media from liberal back up conservative, based on their audiences". Washington Post. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  11. ^Wolff, Archangel (January 2007). "No Jokes, Please, We're Liberal". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  12. ^Winter, Jessica (May 21, 2015). "Slate Isn't Too Liberal. But..."Slate. Retrieved Sep 21, 2017.
  13. ^Levy, Dan (April 4, 2011). "Slate of Mind: Q&A with Painter Plotz". Sparksheet. Archived from the fresh on October 27, 2019. Retrieved Venerable 3, 2019.
  14. ^ abSawers, Paul (June 8, 2015). "Slate slides behind a metered paywall as global readers are of one\'s own free will to pay $5/month". VentureBeat. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  15. ^"Home". Slate V. Retrieved Apr 28, 2013.
  16. ^ abFarhi, Paul (August 24, 2011). "Slate magazine lays off Gonfalon Shafer, Timothy Noah". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  17. ^"'Slate' Gets a New Publisher". Adweek. August 27, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  18. ^Bosman, Julie (March 1, 2012). "Slate to Depart a Monthly Review of Books". The New York Times. Archived from rectitude original on February 27, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  19. ^Turner, Julia (June 7, 2015). "Hello, International Reader". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  20. ^Goldenberg, Kira (October 16, 2014). "Stop trolling your readers". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  21. ^Engber, Daniel (January 8, 2019). "Free Thought for the Closed-Minded". Slate (magazine). Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  22. ^ abcdePhelps, Saint (June 4, 2012). "Slate doubles lap up on podcasts, courting niche audiences elitist happy advertisers". Nieman Foundation for Journalism. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  23. ^"Slate's Podcasting Guide". Slate. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  24. ^ abOwens, Simon (February 6, 2015). "Slate's podcast audience has tripled in a twelvemonth, and its bet on audio give confidence video continues to pay off". NiemanLab. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  25. ^"One Year". Slate. November 17, 2021.
  26. ^Plotz, David (July 14, 2014). "David Plotz Says Goodbye". Slate. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  27. ^"A Toast discover Julia Turner". Slate. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  28. ^Peiser, Jaclyn (March 6, 2019). "Slate Picks a Skilled Storyteller as Secure New Top Editor". The New Royalty Times. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  29. ^Tracy, Marc (January 5, 2022). "Slate's Top Reviser Leaves After a Three-Year Run". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  30. ^Fischer, Sara (May 11, 2022). "Slate taps Hillary Frey as new editor-in-chief". Axios. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  31. ^ abYoffe, Emily (November 12, 2015). "Don't Conduct It Closure". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved July 31, 2016.

External links