American libertarian monthly magazine
Reason is an American libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation, with the tagline "Free Minds and Free Markets".[1] The magazine aims to produce independent journalism that is "outside of the left/right echo chamber." As of , the magazine had a circulation of around 50, and received about million monthly unique website visitors.[2][3]
Reason was founded in by Lanny Friedlander (–),[2][4] a student at Boston University,[5] as a more-or-less monthly mimeographed publication. In , it was purchased by Robert W. Poole Jr., Manuel S. Klausner, and Tibor R. Machan, who set it on a more regular publishing schedule.[4][5] During the s and s, the magazine's contributors included Milton Friedman, Murray Rothbard, Thomas Szasz, and Thomas Sowell.[6] In , Poole, Klausner, and Machan created the associated Reason Foundation, in order to expand the magazine's ideas into policy research.[4]Marty Zupan joined Reason in , and served through the s as managing editor and editor-in-chief, leaving in [7]
Virginia Postrel was editor-in-chief of the magazine from July to January She founded the magazine's website in [8]Nick Gillespie became editor-in-chief in [9]
In June , subscribers to Reason magazine received a personalized issue that had their name, and a satellite photo of their home or workplace on the cover. The concept was to demonstrate the power of public databases, as well as the customized printing capabilities of Xeikon's printer, according to then editor-in-chief Nick Gillespie.[10] The move was seen by David Carr of The New York Times as "the ultimate in customized publishing" as well as "a remarkable demonstration of the growing number of ways databases can be harnessed."[10]
In , Matt Welch became magazine's editor-in-chief, with Gillespie becoming editor-in-chief of [9] In , Gillespie and Welch published the book The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America, which they co-wrote.[11]
Katherine Mangu-Ward became the magazine's editor-in-chief in June , with Welch moving to an editor-at-large position.[12] Nick Gillespie is the other editor-at-large of Reason.
Hit & Run was Reason's group blog. It was maintained and written by the staff of the magazine. It was started in and discontinued on April 14, , with 's site redesign. Then-editor Gillespie and then-Web editor Tim Cavanaugh, both veterans of , modeled the blog in some ways after that website: they brought along several other writers to contribute, fostered a style in the blog matching that former website's sarcastic attitude, and even the name "Hit & Run" was taken from what had been a weekly news roundup column on Reason editors referred to this co-opting of the former website as the "Suck-ification of Reason".[13]
In , Hit & Run was named as one of the best political blogs by Playboy.[14]
Reason TV is a YouTube channel affiliated with Reason magazine that produces short-form documentaries and video editorials. Nick Gillespie is editor-in-chief. The site produced a series of videos called The Drew Carey Project hosted by comedian Drew Carey.[15]Reason TV teamed with Carey again in to produce "Reason Saves Cleveland", in which Carey suggested free market solutions to his hometown's problems.[16]
Since , comedian Remy Munasifi has partnered with Reason TV to produce parody videos.[17] Since , John Stossel has produced more than commentary segments published on the Reason TV YouTube channel.[18]
Reason TV has a playlist called "Great Moments in Unintended Consequences" which examines historical and contemporary examples of government regulations producing unintended consequences.[19]
Reason has multiple podcast series,[20] including Reason Roundtable, a weekly podcast in which the editors "discuss and debate the week’s biggest stories and what fresh hell awaits us all".
The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie, is a podcast series in which editor at large, Nick Gillespie interviews activists, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, newsmakers, and politicians on current issues such as free speech, censorship, gun control, COVID regulations, institutions such as the FBI, geopolitics and more. The podcast occasionally focuses on historical topics, such as pacifism during World War 2 and the philosophical views of Adam Smith and Ayn Rand.
The Soho Forum Debates is moderated by Gene Epstein and features live debates between public intellectuals on current issues such as bitcoin, electric vehicles, government debt, illegal drugs, robotics, and sex work.
The podcast series Why We Can't Have Nice Things is a six part series about American trade policy and its impacts on the economy, such as the United States infant formula shortage.