The City’s Place In ‘The Nation’

Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation, marked two decades at the country’s oldest weekly magazine with a voluminous 150^th anniversary edition that paired watershed pieces from the archives with fresh features. 

The 268-page magazine opened with a reflection on The Nation’s roots in the abolition movement and its evolution through political and journalistic movements. Vanden Heuvel said The Nation’s legacy remains pertinent, pointing to a 1966 article by James Baldwin that described the “No Knock, Stop and Frisk laws” in Harlem, as well as a video on the policing technique that was presented to the judge who deemed stop and frisk racially discriminatory.

Vanden Heuvel spoke with City & State reporter Sarina Trangle about the magazine’s history, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s national platform and whether she plans to run for office.

The following is an edited transcript.

City & State: How has celebrating the anniversary been?

Katrina vanden Heuvel: Well, 150 years is quite something in this fast-shifting media landscape. It was a year-and-a-half project, this special issue, so it was quite an overlay on the weekly and daily pace here.

C&S: And it’s also your anniversary at the magazine. What kept you there for 20 years? 

KVH: It’s an extraordinary place if you want to expose abuse, right wrongs, investigate corruption, but also propose alternatives to what is. I was here for the Clinton impeachment madness, and then the Supreme Court selection of President George W. Bush, 9/11, the bombing of Afghanistan, the run-up to Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, America’s first financial crisis since the Great Depression, and of course, Obama’s now two victories. I find this moment very interesting. It’s a progressive, populist moment, not everywhere, but I do think The Nation, in endorsing Mayor Bill de Blasio when he was fourth in the polls, played a role in lifting up this voice.

C&S: Do you think The Nation’s coverage has less impact given there’s a perception its readership is liberal?

KVH: No. The Nation represents the leading progressive voice. We don’t influence what happens inside the Republican Party, for sure. But we editorialized a year ago for the need for a robust primary contest. And we also called for the Democratic National Committee to convene debates if there were a number of challengers. You saw just a few days ago the committee has set six debates.

C&S: What has been a high point during your tenure? 

KVH: The Nation really led the opposition to the war in Iraq. At that time, it wasn’t just George W. Bush or Dick Cheney, but many liberal commentators, publications believed the war was the right thing. Today, the majority of Americans, even Republicans, will say the Iraq war was a disaster.

C&S: What story stands out as a favorite? 

KVH: There were two. I take pride that The Nation did endorse Mayor Bill de Blasio, and in so doing, I believe, led to a shift in the city … and an open letter to Congress on the eve of the vote regarding the authorization to go to war in Iraq. That was one of the most powerful pieces in my time here.

C&S: Given the 1966 piece by James Baldwin criticizing policing in Harlem and today’s protests, how would you assess the nation’s progress on this?

KVH: What strikes me is how relevant James Baldwin’s piece is. We made a video two years ago about stop-and-frisk abuses, which was cited by Judge Shira Scheindlin, who ruled stop and frisk racially discriminatory. There’s an arch of history between James Baldwin, Black Lives Matter, the protests and what’s going on in cities across this country.

C&S: And has there been progress in New York City under de Blasio?

KVH: Yes, and I think there’s a way to go. There’s legitimate criticism of the adherence to broken windows and the quota system that continues to discriminate against African-American and Latino men and communities.

C&S: Rolling Stone reported that you were among those de Blasio convened while planning his national, progressive agenda. What are the most important policies in it? What will be the hardest sells? 

KVH: We’re at a moment where the talk of a minimum wage at $15 is not considered unreal—it’s right there in the center of this agenda, also workers’ rights to organize, opposing trade deals that really damage workers’ rights and the environment. Tax fairness will be hard—things like raising the share that millionaires pay, closing the carried interest loophole.

C&S: What do you envision for yourself after The Nation? 

KVH: Lots of things, but I haven’t had time to think deeply about such things. Maybe I’ll run for office. My father has been an inspiration to me, and he was in politics for many years, and I feel that The Nation has been a bully pulpit of some kind.