Member Newsletter
Today is the anniversary of this site, founded 24 years ago today.
It’s always been one of the features of TPM’s history that these anniversaries come right on the heels of elections — so either another milestone amidst the reverie and relief of good results or a reminder of the long view in the daze of bad ones. And it’s no accident. The site literally began as an effort to cover an election that was already over, or that was supposed to be over. That wasn’t the only reason the site began. I had it hazily in my mind to do something like it. There were even a few false starts at it in the few months before I did. But the election was the trigger. I had planned to spend a week with my then-girlfriend in New Haven after the 2000 election was concluded. But it turned out not to be over. The story was fast-moving, couldn’t wait on daily publishing schedules, let alone the weeks-long ones at my day job at The American Prospect, where I wasn’t going to have free rein in any case. So I just dove in and it never stopped.
One source of the quality and stability of the site today is that a number of our team members have been part of the operation for a significant number of those 24 years, in addition to me and David Kurtz, who’s been in various levels of association with the site going back almost 20 years and a staff member, I believe, since 2007 — though that was a gradual transition, so I’m not certain at this moment of the precise date. Director of Technology Matt Wozniak joined in 2012. Publisher Joe Ragazzo joined the site just after the 2012 election, probably in early 2013. Head of Product Derick Dirmaier joined at the end of 2013. Deputy Editor Nicole Lafond began as an intern in 2014 and then, after a couple years away, returned as a staffer in 2017. Hunter Walker was here for a first stint about a decade ago. I’m not going to list everyone. But the average length of time people have worked here has gone up dramatically over last decade or so. That institutional memory and experience goes a long way.
As always, I want to thank you, as readers and members, for making what we do possible.