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Dear Viewer,
Last week WETA president and CEO Sharon Percy Rockefeller shared the good news that The Atlantic is joining forces with PBS NewsHour Productions and WETA to co-produce the indispensable Washington Week, which will now be known as Washington Week with The Atlantic. As the longest-running news and public affairs show on primetime television, Washington Week holds a special place in our culture. The most discerning viewers have long relied on it for civil, lively and thoughtful roundtable discussions about the great issues of the day. And The Atlantic, since 1857, has been a magazine of ideas—a home to the best writers and boldest minds, who bring clarity and original thinking to the most important issues of our time. Through our journalism, we aim to help our readers better understand the world and its possibilities as they navigate the complexities of daily life.
A partnership between The Atlantic and PBS makes good sense. Our two organizations share a journalistic sensibility; both are dedicated to nuanced and incisive reporting and analysis, which, I don’t have to tell you, has become harder to find these days. As we move into the 2024 presidential election campaign—one of the most consequential of our lifetimes (yes, journalists say this about every election, but this time it’s particularly true)—I know that you’ll want the sort of rigorous analysis and behind-the-news details that Washington Week provides.
The other news here is that I’ll be moderating the show, and will be joined by Washington’s best reporters, including my gifted colleagues at The Atlantic. I follow an impressive group of people who previously hosted this show, including my most recent predecessors, Yamiche Alcindor and Robert Costa, and the legend herself, Gwen Ifill. Gwen was a role model for me and countless other journalists, and she built this show into an institution.
I joined The Atlantic in 2007 as a national correspondent and in 2016 was named the magazine’s 15th editor in chief. During my tenure so far as editor, I’m proud that The Atlantic has set new audience and subscription records, and won its first-ever Pulitzer Prizes in each of the past three years. In 2022 and in 2023, The Atlantic received the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the magazine industry.
As a journalist and a regular contributor to news programs across television and radio, I have long admired Washington Week and the important role PBS plays in the lives of millions of Americans. In this new era in Washington Week’s history, we will bring all of our strengths together to create a more vibrant show than ever before. WETA and NewsHour Productions will continue to produce the show, and viewers can look forward to seeing some of my Atlantic colleagues joining the roundtable as panelists and guest hosts. I hope you’ll join us every Friday at 8 p.m. ET (check your local listings). And thanks to readers—and viewers—like you for supporting our journalism.
Best regards,
Jeffrey Goldberg
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