After a midterm election turnout of abysmal proportions, amid grinding government gridlock, it may seem strange to say that this moment feels like an especially exciting time to be covering politics. Two well-known trends—disengagement and disappointment with politics and other traditional institutions, in the United States at least, along with rapid changes in the news industry—mean more voices are contributing in more ways to conversations that established actors have failed to address.
“State of the News” provides a snapshot of the news today. Its focus, however, sidesteps the well-worn discussions of how we consume news, asking instead about what we consume, why we consume it, and to what effect. Mark Bode explores the varied organizational structures that underlie ideological polarization of the three major cable news networks. Vincent Monti argues that this media polarization matters less for democracy than the conventional wisdom might hold. Valentina Perez then turns our attention to one of America’s most popular forms of media—tabloids—arguing that seeming contradictions within tabloid culture mirror fundamental inconsistencies in the American Dream itself. And Aisha Bhoori explores an unintended consequence of limits on press freedom in Pakistan: Western journalism filling the void left by a lack of local reporting.
But as the Harvard Political Review dives into under-explored aspects of the wider news landscape—and the 46th Masthead’s last issue goes to print—I wanted to dedicate this page to taking the reader inside some of our publication’s changes over the past year.
As regular HPR readers will know, our magazine redesign two years ago changed the print face of this publication, displaying articles more readably and beautifully than ever. The magazine has established a brand on campus and beyond, with a recognizable aesthetic in addition to its high-quality content.
And just as our print presence has flourished, the HPR’s place in the ever-changing online media landscape has reached new heights. Over the past year alone, readership of harvardpolitics.com has nearly tripled. HPR content has been featured on outlets from “Good Morning America” and TIME Magazine to the Times of India. Every day, a greater number of readers from a wider array of backgrounds are clicking, reading, sharing, and discussing the HPR’s unique brand of undergraduate political analysis, reportage, and commentary, giving our writers more impact than ever on the national and international debate.
In recognition of this solidifying position as a go-to web media source, the HPR embarked this year on a full redesign of its website. The new site, launched in October and entirely designed and implemented by HPR members Andrew Seo, Ashley Chen, Kim Soffen, Tom Silver, and Olivia Zhu, incorporates the magazine’s fonts, color schemes, and many other design elements, universalizing the print magazine’s high standards of aesthetic quality across every platform. It creates an easier reader experience, with more ways to navigate the HPR’s breadth of content. It allows for greater multimedia functionality, including a new platform for long-form articles. Most importantly, the site forms a solid foundation for further web innovation for years to come.
All the while, the magazine has challenged itself to further expand its breadth of style and inquiry. From Gram Slattery’s deep dive into climate activism on Harvard’s campus to Zoë Hitzig’s reflections on state-sanctioned execution from America’s death penalty capital—not to mention the eclectic mix of narrative, creative nonfiction, and visual art found in the HPR’s first printed Literary Supplement, “The Politics of Memory”—HPR writers today are exploring fresher topics with greater stylistic variety than ever.
For these and many other reasons, I have never been more excited about the state and future of the HPR. As Masthead 46 passes to 47, led by the indomitable President-Elect Priyanka Menon, the HPR’s place as the center of political writing on Harvard’s campus and an indispensable source for readers around the world is strong.