Political magazine choices

Factual Questions
1

No this isn’t really a poll. It might qualify as a great debate if it gets heated, but I’m hoping I can just get an answer.

I have a bright and interested little sister. She’s got a politically active mind, from studying the causes and effects of WWII to writing manifestos of racism quoting the Bill of Rights (which she has memorized.) Cool kid. (She’s just turned 11.)

My mom wants to encourage this and get her some weekly/monthy reading material about current issues. That leans a little liberal. (We’re a little conservative as a family, mom is looking for balance but not extremism.)

So, any suggestions from the TM? (C’mon, we’re a group of bright, slightly liberal, politically sencitive people…One of us should know of a good publication.) Oh, reading level isn’t an issue, if it’s in English, she can understand it.

2

Though they lost all credibility with me after their attacks on Nader during last year’s election, the New Republic might be a good place to start. A Sunday NYT is probably a good idea too.

Of course, truly enlightened 11-year-olds read the Progressive, the Nation, and Z…

3

. …and Mother Jones . . .:wink:

Those, I think are the basic “leftie”, “liberal” mags easier to get a hold of. I might also add In These Times, Dollars and Sense, NACLA, and,if you are in the area of Texas, Texas Observer.

XicanoreX

4

I reccomend Reason and The Economist for a good dose of liberalism and libertarianism…and Foreign Affairs Quarterly might be a bit dry for an 11 year old, but it’s got good stuff, and is a favorite target of Conspiracy Nuts worldwide. (The Council on Foreign Relations is a recruiting center for the Trilateral Commission and the Bilderbergers, you see…)

5

The People’s Daily! The only political paper worth reading imho :wink:

— G. Raven

6

And also The Wall Street Journal; they’re coverage of economics and international politics is excellent and mostly unbiassed.

7

I recommend The New Yorker for left of center political commentary, a weekly column on current economic matters that is excellent, and a variety of articles covering interesting and relevant societal questions.

The Economist offers the best writing in a weekly news mag.

While friedo is right regarding The Wall Street Journal’s news coverage, if you value your sister’s sanity you will keep her away from their editorial pages.

8

Do online magazines count? I enjoy Slate: http://www.slate.com and Salon: http://www.salon.com

9
      • I heartily second The Economist. It tends to run a little left of center, but even its editors stopped defending Bill Clinton about halfway through the second term. A subscription is expensive but worth it.
  • Reason is one I like also, strictly libertarian though, and libertrian leans right more often than left.
  • National Review and New Republic are two more, but mostly right-wing. - MC
10

Thank you all so much!

And don’t worry about dry subject matter. She’s not a normal kid. While I would find trying to teach myself every language spoken on the earth kinda…well, I wouldn’t think of it to be honest, but she has and it makes her happy. Along with in depth study of every war man has written account of. So what my fantasy and fluff mind may find dry, she usually eats up. (Our tastes meet somewhere around Shakespere.)

Sometime before the munchkin gets home from camp I’ll get a pile of mags at borders and make an evening of judging. With little prior experiance, I’m currently favoring The New Yorker and The Economist.

And thanks again. She’s a cool person and I’d hate to see her bright mind squelshed through lack of information.

11

Another good magazine with a somewhat liberal persuasion with good articles on many current topics, including political ones, is The New York Review of Books.