Times are tough for media. Unless you’re owned by a socially-conscious billionaire (and good luck finding one of those), it’s hard for a publication to survive. Current Affairs does not have corporate backing. Nor do we have paywalls. Nor have we ever had advertising. We’re totally dependent on subscriptions and small donors. Unfortunately, our subscribers and small donors have been too miserly for our magazine to sustain itself long-term. So after much soul-searching, we have decided to alter our business model. We’re introducing advertising.
“But wait, I thought Current Affairs was firmly anti-corporate and had promised from the start that it would never contain any ads except for whimsical fake ads for nonexistent products?” Yes, well, we did say that constantly for ten years, we admit. But adapting to changing economic conditions requires a degree of ethical flexibility, and we were just about the only magazine in the industry that had zero ads.
Don’t worry, though. We’re doing this responsibly. The ads we’ve chosen are for products that we believe in. We have tried them ourselves and endorse them fully. We won’t ever show you an ad for something we don’t believe you should buy.
You may notice the site gets cluttered with pop-ups. That’s okay. Just click your way through them, and you’ll find the same wonderful Current Affairs content beneath. Nothing is changing except the fundamentals of the user experience. You’ll get used to it, we promise.
We hope you enjoy the new look, and that these ads help you discover some helpful new products and services you wouldn’t otherwise have discovered! Advertising is just information, which means the more of it you see, the more informed you are. We know you’re going to love the new Current Affairs. And besides, you don’t have a choice.
With the revenue from these ads, we can bring you even better articles, podcasts, and videos. We’re even going to introduce sponsored posts and co-branded content. Following the lead of august publications like The New York Times and CNN, we are exploring content partnerships with ExxonMobil and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Watch this space.
Thank you for being a loyal reader, and remember: unless you subscribe, the pop-ups will only continue to multiply.
Nathan J. Robinson
Editor in Chief
PS. April Fool’s! But can you imagine if we really had to do this? Please consider subscribing or donating today to make sure that day never comes.
