Tory Anarchist

Very interesting oral history of the magazine (compiled by Brian Doherty) in the Reason’s 40th anniversary issue, out now. A couple of excerpts here show the different visions that have informed the publication at various times:

Virginia Postrel on her concept:

Postrel: I always saw reason and myself as engaged in a mainstream intellectual and journalistic activity done by mainstream standards, but with an unusual point of view. I don’t see what I do or what reason did when I edited it as being alternative. I wanted it to be focused on policy debate, I wanted a Washington office, I wanted it to be much more prominent a place for people who participated in the public policy debate. I wanted people to leave reason and go to work in other media organizations; I wanted to have an internship program that would train people so they would be able to pursue media jobs.

Two of the magazine’s founders* on theirs:

Machan: Essentially we embarked on a Commentary-like magazine that turned out to be more of a Wired-like magazine. I now call it the hip-hop magazine of libertarianism. It has an emphasis on a certain kind of light-hearted cleverness that didn’t use to be there. I admit it may very well have been market-driven. It’s one thing to say I am displeased, another to say it shouldn’t have gone that way.

Klausner: reason has evolved. It has gotten far greater stature and impact and quality. But what we have shed that makes me a little uneasy is that the magazine is less movement-oriented. We covered the Harry Browne [Libertarian Party presidential] candidacy [in 1996]. The nonlibertarian press covered Harry Browne with far more sympathetic and supportive journalism than we did. I think treating the L.P. as if it were any other party is not fair to this, not embryonic, but undercapitalized party. I think as an ideological magazine we should know who our friends are and who our enemies are and not use the same standard. We should be respectful of people on our side of the debate. We can accentuate the positive.

Machan: The only regret I have is I was eventually cast aside by the Nick Gillespie crowd completely, so they didn’t even review any books of mine, ran no letters to the editor. I thought some personnel became what I refer to as the “loft crowd”—the people who like loft parties and always dressed Hollywood-like. There was a big change in style.

I have to say, none of the Reason people I know dress “Hollywood-like,” unless you interpret Nick Gillespie’s trademark leather jacket that way.

*I should say, as Doherty’s piece makes clear, founders of Reason Enterprises, which took on responsibility for the zine-like Reason from founder-founder Lanny Friedlander.

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