And look at what they got for staging all those rallies--all those commies really turned off the American public.
Boston Busines Journal [online], June 14, 2002
by Donna L. Goodison
Slate.com blogger -- "web logger," for the nontechies -- Mickey Kaus has been reporting that The American Prospect is in financial trouble, but founder and co-editor Robert Kuttner says the magazine is doing just fine, thank you."He's been a detractor of ours for many years," Kuttner said of Kaus. "We're fine."
In his Kausfiles column on May 13, Kaus said American Prospect board member Michael Johnston had "sounded the alarm" about the magazine's books. In his May 30 column, he referred to the magazine, whose operations are split between Boston and Washington, D.C., as "foundering."
The American Prospect went from a bimonthly to a biweekly publication in November 1999 with the aid of a multimillion-dollar grant from the Florence & John Schumann Foundation of Montclair, N.J.
The magazine, which Kuttner described as one for "sensible liberals" who want authoritative articles on major policy issues, also was redesigned as an attempt to broaden its appeal and boost its then-18,000 circulation to upwards of 80,000 in five years. The magazine's circulation stands at 50,000 now, according to Kuttner, who noted little advertising is received.
In May 1999, the Schumann Foundation gave the magazine $5.5 million for two years and was expected to commit to a total of $11 million after an evaluation period. In May 2001, the magazine received another $2 million for a one-year period.
"Each year, they review it," Kuttner said. "We got the money, $2 million, this year. We're coming up on our regular review, and we expect another $3 million for the remaining two years, and that will be the end of the grant. By then, we expect to be self-sufficient.
"That doesn't mean we break even, it just means we have enough foundation support to continue," continued Kuttner, who noted The Nation and The New Republic, also left-leaning publications, also fail to break even. "Our understanding with them (the Schumann Foundation) is we wouldn't have asked for money from them after the five years."
And additional Schumann Foundation money isn't built into the American Prospect's budget, according to Kuttner, who launched the magazine in 1990 with Paul Starr and Robert Reich under the nonprofit American Prospect Inc.
Kuttner maintained the magazine will remain a biweekly, unless the "bottom fell out" and necessitated a reassessment, he said.
"If somebody wanted to write us a large paycheck, we would go weekly," Kuttner said.
Johnston, the Schumann Foundation appointee who has been on The American Prospect board for about a year, denied that he "sounded the alarm" -- those are Kaus' words -- after looking over the magazine's books.
"We're happy with the magazine," said Johnston, executive vice president of the Capital Group Cos. Inc. Los Angeles. "There's no problem with the books. It's just that magazines like this always need money. We told them five years ago we would help them ramp up. The plan was, and is, to have us fade into the background and have other foundations and endowments pick up the slack, and that seems to be the case. We've been their principal funder, and we are grateful that others are stepping forward to run the magazine."
Reached by e-mail, Kaus said that his use of "foundering" to describe The American Prospect was a little harsh, and that "floundering" may be a better description.
"I assume (Schumann Foundation head and PBS personality Bill) Moyers will give him more money," Kaus said. "But I stand by everything I've written about the magazine's financial crisis, plus the ongoing editorial troubles. I've gotten no hint from anyone ... that I got it wrong. I would say Kuttner's credibility on these matters is not high. He's denied things before -- e.g., that Robert Reich wasn't going to leave the magazine, which Reich has now done -- that have turned out to be true." (Reich, a Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate, was the magazine's chairman and now is on leave from the publication.) ...
Exempt from public scrutiny they become the vehicle of choice to avoid paying taxes with a philanthropic cover.
Great article in an area that desperatly needs attention.
I will assume Iraq and North Korea fund International ANSWER until they prove otherwise.
This makes for a big pool of money that goes out to spead the word they want. Big business and Republicans can't even tell the story of global warming, how many timber mills can still cut "old growth trees" (under 10) etc. They, the socialists, are winning the war of words and they sue their money to keep getting out the word. Only the work of some Freepers stops the tidal wave.
Foxnews should point out the Turner foundation's contributions. It will hurt CNN even more than this war has.
Really, I have never seen such a proliferation of special interest TE/NP's.
I may have to make up a special problem for myself!
Hmmm.