National Review (magazine)

National Review (magazine)
source
Title	National Review
Founded	1955
Country	United States
Language	English

National Review (magazine) is an American conservative periodical founded in 1955 that has played a central role in shaping twentieth- and twenty-first-century conservatism in the United States. The magazine has engaged debates involving figures from Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman through Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, while intersecting with institutions such as the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Federalist Society, Hoover Institution and Brookings Institution.

History

Founded in 1955 by William F. Buckley Jr., the magazine emerged amid fractures in postwar American politics involving supporters of Wendell Willkie, critics of New Deal policies, and opponents of Joseph McCarthy. Early contributors included intellectuals linked to Yale University, Columbia University, Harvard University and the University of Chicago, who debated foreign-policy crises like the Suez Crisis and the Vietnam War. During the 1960s and 1970s the magazine navigated disputes involving Barry Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller, Goldwater-Nixon realignments, the Watergate scandal, and the rise of the neoconservative movement with figures who had ties to Leo Strauss and the Project for the New American Century. In the 1980s the publication supported Ronald Reagan and engaged with think tanks including the Cato Institute and Manhattan Institute. Through the 1990s and 2000s it covered controversies around Clinton impeachment proceedings, September 11 attacks, the Iraq War, and domestic debates involving Tea Party activists, Sarah Palin, and leaders in the Republican Party. More recently, it has addressed intraparty conflicts involving Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Donald Trump.

Editorial stance and influence

The magazine defines itself through a commitment to strands of conservatism such as fusionist conservatism associated with Frank Meyer, libertarian influences tied to Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek, and traditionalist currents exemplified by critics of progressivism like Russell Kirk. It has advocated policy positions on taxation debated by proponents of supply-side economics linked to Arthur Laffer and opponents aligned with Paul Krugman, while engaging foreign-policy orientations ranging from hawkish interventionism advocated by William Kristol to restraint urged by critics like Rand Paul. The magazine’s endorsements and critiques have influenced presidential campaigns from Barry Goldwater to Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush and have shaped judicial debates surrounding nominees to the Supreme Court of the United States such as Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Its editorials have been cited by members of the United States Congress, commentators on Fox News, hosts on NPR, columnists at the New York Times and pundits at The Washington Post.

Notable contributors and editors

Editors and contributors have included founders and intellectuals associated with institutions such as Yale University and Columbia University: William F. Buckley Jr., Russell Kirk, Irving Kristol, James Burnham, Whittaker Chambers, Nathanael West, P. J. O'Rourke, George Will, Mona Charen, John O'Sullivan, Ramesh Ponnuru, Andrew Sullivan, Yuval Levin, Reihan Salam, Kevin D. Williamson, David French, Charles Krauthammer, Mark Steyn, and Jonah Goldberg. Editors have included figures tied to media organizations such as The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, National Affairs and The New Republic, and legal or policy figures with connections to the Department of Justice and Office of Management and Budget.

Content and features

The magazine publishes a mix of long-form essays, cultural commentary, policy analysis, book reviews, and investigative reporting. Recurring features address judicial nominations to the Supreme Court of the United States, foreign-policy crises like Iran–United States relations and Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and economic debates over tax reform and welfare reform. The publication’s book pages have reviewed works by authors associated with Harvard University Press, Princeton University Press, Oxford University Press and major trade publishers, while its cultural criticism has covered films from Walt Disney Studios and directors such as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, literature by Toni Morrison and Philip Roth, and music by artists on labels like Columbia Records. The magazine has also produced podcasts, special reports on topics like climate change policy debates involving Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change findings, and interviews with policymakers from the Pentagon, State Department, and United Nations.

Reception and criticism

The magazine has been praised by conservative leaders in the Republican Party, scholars at the American Enterprise Institute and donors associated with Philanthropy networks for intellectual rigor, while drawing criticism from progressives at The New Yorker, advocates at ACLU, columnists at The Guardian and commentators affiliated with Democratic Party circles for stances on civil liberties, immigration, and social policy. Critiques have targeted the publication over coverage of Vietnam War-era positions, its stance during the 2000 United States presidential election aftermath, and its responses to the 2016 United States presidential election and the rise of populist candidates. Media analysts at Columbia Journalism Review and scholars at Johns Hopkins University have debated its role in polarization and party realignment.

Circulation and digital presence

Historically distributed in print with circulation audited by organizations like the Alliance for Audited Media, the magazine expanded into digital publishing with a website, newsletters, podcasts, and social-media channels on platforms including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Its digital analytics have been compared with peers such as The Atlantic, The New Republic, Commentary and The Weekly Standard in measuring unique visitors, subscriptions, and advertising revenue, while partnerships and syndication have placed commentary in outlets like SiriusXM and syndicated columns reaching New York Post and Washington Examiner audiences.

Category:American magazines