Alumna takes helm at 'Nation'

Katrina vanden Heuvel '82 recently became the only female editor and publisher of a political weekly in the country. After 10 years as The Nation's editor, she succeeded Victor Navasky as its publisher and general partner on Nov. 7.

During the past decade, the magazine has grown to become the largest political weekly in the country. While most newspapers have experienced a recent decline in readership, The Nation's subscriptions have increased by 70 percent in the last seven years, vanden Heuvel said.

"This is a time when people are hungering for bold views," she said. "Most Americans are not seeing their lives reflected in the media, because current publications and programs seem to espouse an ideology of objectivity, even neutrality."

Vanden Heuvel outlined her vision for the magazine, which she hopes will address a greater variety of issues including the influence of politics on pop culture, the taming of global capitalism, the role of cities and states as places of political change and the future of progressive leadership.

Associate Editor Peter Rothberg said vanden Heuvel's understanding of the magazine's purpose and her 25 years of involvement at the company qualify her to be both editor and publisher.

"She has been training for decades," Rothberg said. "Her commitment and passion for what The Nation represents allows her to play both roles. On top of that, she just works really hard and is frighteningly organized."

Vanden Heuvel's involvement with The Nation began her sophomore year at the University while taking a seminar called "Politics and the Press" taught by Blair Clark, editor of The Nation from 1976 to 1978. She became interested in the magazine and took off her junior year to intern at the company.

While at the University, she wrote for the Nassau Weekly and published an Op-Ed in The New York Times. She majored in politics and wrote her junior paper and senior thesis about the McCarthy era.

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"During that time, people who spoke out against political norms were rejected or feared," she said. "Some things haven't changed."

After graduation, vanden Heuvel returned to The Nation and soon became assistant editor. In 1987, she and her husband Stephen Cohen traveled to Russia, where she worked as a reporter for a weekly newspaper called Moscow News. She wrote about the country's first parliamentary elections and shadowed Boris Yeltsin in the early 1990s. In 1989, vanden Heuvel and Cohen published "Voices of Glasnost: Interviews with Gorbachev's Reformers," a book about Russian politics and society.

"It was an exciting time to be a reporter," she said. "I got to witness the power of change, and I would encourage any aspiring journalist to travel for firsthand experience." After spending nearly seven years in Russia, vanden Heuvel returned to The Nation and became editor in 1995.

Though The Nation remains as independent as it was when founded in 1865, vanden Heuvel said the magazine seems liberal on the current political spectrum.

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"The Nation is a muckraking magazine for those who believe in holding the power holders accountable," she said. "There is truth. But there is also a point of view."

As one of few women to hold a top position in journalism, vanden Heuvel said she hopes to see more females report on "hard issues" like foreign policy and national security.

She also said she wants to target a younger audience, particularly college students. In April, she met with staff members of The Daily Princetonian, and plans to hold a conference with progressive college newspapers in the coming year.

"I hope Princeton students understand that there are many ways to work 'in the nation's service,' " vanden Heuvel said. "Rebuilding this nation starts with making your voice heard."