Columbia Journalism Review

Organization board

The CJR's current chairman is Rebecca Blumenstein, President-Editorial of NBC News. The publisher is Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School and staff writer at The New Yorker.

The previous chairman of the magazine was Victor Navasky, a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and former editor and publisher of the politically progressive The Nation. According to Executive Editor Michael Hoyt, Navasky's role is "99% financial" and "he doesn't push anything editorially." Hoyt also has stated that Navasky has "learned how to get a small magazine of ideas into the black, and he's trying to come up with some strategies for us."

Finances

CJR is a nonprofit entity and relies on fundraising to fund its operations. In August 2007, Mike Hoyt, the executive editor of CJR since 2003, said the magazine's income in 2007 would exceed expenses by about $50,000, with estimates of a $40,000 surplus in 2008. Hoyt attributed the surpluses to a mix of some staff cuts, such as not replacing three editors who left, and fundraising increases. Donations to the CJR in the past three years have included about $1.25 million from a group of news veterans headed by former Philadelphia Inquirer executive editor Gene Roberts.

As of mid-2007, the CJR had an eight-person staff, an annual budget of $2.3 million, and a paper circulation of approximately 19,000, including 6,000 student subscriptions. but as of 2017, enrollment numbers are not available and do not contribute to these circulation figures.

Editor

In 2016, Kyle Pope, who had served as the editor in chief of The New York Observer, was announced as the new editor and publisher of CJR, replacing Elizabeth Spayd, when she was announced as the sixth public editor of The New York Times.

In 2017, in Washington, D.C., Pope addressed the House Judiciary Committee bipartisan Forum on Press Freedoms regarding concerns that the actions of Donald Trump during his campaign for and following election as President of the United States undermine the constitutional freedom of the press.

In June 2024, Sewell Chan was appointed to be the executive editor of CJR, effective September 16. In April 2025, Columbia University fired Chan eight months after his tenure began. In November 2025, longtime managing editor Betsy Morais was appointed editor in chief.

References

References

1. (1 January 1961). "News and Notes". [[Public Opinion Quarterly]].
2. Spayd, Elizabeth. (14 October 2015). "A note to CJR's readers". Columbia Journalism Review.
3. (1 June 2005). "Victor Navasky Now Playing Key Role at 'CJR'".
4. Strupp, Joe. (22 August 2007). "'AJR' Facing Major Debt -- But 'CJR' Says It's In The Black".
5. Vernon, Pete. (25 July 2017). "The media today: Jeff Sessions, beyond the soap opera".
6. (29 July 2016). "CJR gets new editor and publisher".
7. Uberti, David. (18 May 2016). "CJR's Elizabeth Spayd named New York Times public editor".
8. Pope, Kyle. (24 July 2017). "CJR Editor addresses Congress".
9. Robertson, Katie. (June 27, 2024). "Sewell Chan Named Editor of Columbia Journalism Review". [[The New York Times]].
10. "Sewell Chan appointed executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review".
11. Burch, Sean. (April 18, 2025). "Columbia University Cuts Ties With CJR Executive Editor Sewell Chan".
12. (18 April 2025). "CJR Editor Sewell Chan Is Fired". The New York Times.
13. "Betsy Morais Named Editor in Chief of Columbia Journalism Review {{!}} Columbia Journalism School".