Astute observers of this page will have noted by now the change at the top of the masthead to your right. America Press, the publisher of America magazine, has a new name: America Media. Many of you may be wondering what it all means. It’s really quite simple: Our new name reflects the reality that America now produces content on multiple platforms in addition to print, including the web, video and social media. It also conveys better the essence of who we are: a media ministry sponsored by the Society of Jesus, a collaboration of Jesuits and laypeople, guided by the Catholic faith and the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola.
Let me also be clear about what this change does not mean. There are no plans to stop printing the magazine, nor are there any plans to print fewer issues. We know who we are, and we know where we come from. This weekly print magazine is the foundation and flagship of our work, as it has been since 1909. In fact, our print circulation is growing and we are putting in place new programs and technologies to expand our print circulation even more.
More important, in this uncertain era, you should know that America magazine will continue to be what it has always been: a smart Catholic take on faith and culture. We will not dilute or dumb down our standards of excellence. At the same time, I invite you to take advantage of all of the additional high-quality content we now offer, most of which is included in your subscription. America is available on mobile devices, and you will also find us on social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, as well as SiriusXM radio and through video and live events.
You may have noticed a few other changes to that masthead: America is pleased to welcome Edward Schmidt, S.J., as senior editor. Father Schmidt is a former editor of Company magazine. He also currently serves as editor in chief of Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education. Russell Pollitt, S.J., and Anthony Egan, S.J., have joined America’s team as our Johannesburg, South Africa, correspondents. Father Pollitt is the director of the Jesuit Institute South Africa and Father Egan teaches at St. Augustine College there.
America Films was also launched last month by Executive Editor Jeremy Zipple, S.J., a former producer at National Geographic. Look for original video content that will include editor interviews, promo pieces and mini-documentary films, all available through our website: americamagazine.org. Lastly, though America was born before radio, we finally have a radio show. You can hear “America This Week” at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, only on The Catholic Channel, Sirius XM 129. If you are not a Sirius subscriber, you can still listen to extended excerpts from the shows at our website.
The media world is rapidly changing and the recent changes at America Media reflect that. But you will still find here in these pages and on every one of our media platforms the spirit of America that has guided us for more than a century. As Thurston N. Davis, S.J., editor in chief of this review from 1955-1968, once wrote: “Within these pages, a reader will find a hundred paths that crisscross the complicated world of contemporary affairs. But through it all, and written between every line, is the conviction that in all its diversity and change, the world of man is God’s world and that he who does not labor to return it to God redeemed in some small measure by his tears and worry and dedication has missed the meaning of man’s job on Earth.”
On behalf of the Jesuits and our lay colleagues, thank you for your continued support of this media ministry. With your help, America will continue to lead the conversation about faith and culture for years to come.
