Two thousand sixteen is almost at an end, and, before the year slips away into the books, I wanted to write a quick Editor’s Update to keep you all informed about how things are going.
This has been a tense and surprising year, and I’d like to thank our readers for sticking by us throughout. We appreciate it. We’ve had record traffic to the website since January, with both October and November representing the two busiest months in our history. As they say on the airlines, we know you have a choice, and we’re thrilled that you keep reading us. Here’s to 2017, and beyond.
That said, we have no intention of resting on our laurels. We know that there are problems with our website and we are determined to fix them. As both Jack Fowler and Jonah Goldberg have recently noted — and as I telegraphed when I asked for blunt feedback a month or so ago — we are not intending to achieve these reforms by tinkering around the edges. Rather, we’re going to rebuild NRO from the ground up. And when I say “from the ground up,” I mean that literally. As I type, we are rethinking how the website works (and doesn’t); working hard on how best to present new types of content; and, at every stage, factoring in the reams of feedback we’ve had from our readers (please keep it coming).
Naturally, this isn’t going to be cheap. And that means we’re going to need your help. As always, National Review survives because our readers want it to survive. We have no sugar daddy, no government grants, no bank robbers willing to throw us a percentage of their loot. If David Brock is right and there is a secret right-wing lair out there, our invites have been lost repeatedly in the post.
Bottom line: To rebuild NRO, we are going to need around $150,000. If you want to help us get there, there are a bunch of ways you can do that:
You can contribute on NRO here. If you prefer PayPal, you can donate here. Or if you like to do things the old-fashioned way, mail a check, payable to “National Review,” to 215 Lexington Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
Our new website aside, I’m greatly looking forward to next year. It’ll be a busy one in Washington, which means it’ll be a busy one on NRO. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and I’ll see you all soon.