(B)logging Off: Feministing Endlessly
After 15 unimaginable years, Feministing is shutting down. From the underside of our hearts, thanks to the readers who joined us for this journey.
As digital media has grow to be corporatized, many unbiased information websites and blogs have been compelled to shutter. As the New York Times reports at present, sadly, we discover ourselves amongst these. Whereas we grew to become extra financially sustainable over time—largely because of the help of readers such as you!—we in the end couldn’t construct a long-term funding mannequin in at present’s media surroundings that may enable us to compensate our workforce pretty for his or her useful work.
In a way, we’re in good firm. We’re extremely grateful to have shared the early Web with so many pioneering bloggers and activists—girls, folks of coloration, trans folks—who paved the way in which for at present’s digital media panorama. We’re honored to be talked about in the identical breath as legendary feminist and progressive websites equivalent to Jezebel, Feministe, Racialicious, Tiger Beatdown, Crunk Feminist Collective, Pandagon, Black Woman Harmful, Offended Black Bitch, The Hairpin, The Toast, Bitch Media, Uncooked Story, Jacobin, Truthout, Speaking Factors Memo, and lots of extra.
Whereas we’re unhappy that Feministing will not exist as a weblog, we’re happy with what now we have been in a position to obtain. For a decade and half, Feministing produced daring, uncompromising, anti-racist, anti-capitalist feminist evaluation, fought for real-world change, and helped construct an engaged neighborhood of younger feminists who essentially modified the media panorama and reinvigorated the feminist motion.
At its peak, Feministing had 1.2 million distinctive month-to-month guests, making it probably the most widely-read feminist publications of its period. We coated a broad vary of intersectional feminist points—from campus sexual violence to transgender rights to reproductive justice to the struggle towards international colonialism. We turned an unapologetically feminist lens on all the things from popular culture to politics to intercourse recommendation. We served as a gateway to the feminist motion for a lot of younger folks—and as a supply of hope and solidarity for feminists feeling remoted when the world appeared the wrong way up.
Feministing remained utterly unbiased over 15 years of publishing, resisting the strain to tone down our message or keep away from “controversial” matters to enchantment extra to company or enterprise capitalist {dollars} or merge with a much less outspoken non-profit or different entity. Our workforce blogged and managed the location whereas holding down different, full-time jobs. It was really a labor of affection.
We’re maybe most happy with making a pipeline of feminist thought management whose affect is profoundly felt at present. Many Feministing alumni have gone on to influential careers. At this time, they’re best-selling authors, columnists, strategists, and political analysts. They’re doing the quiet, behind-the-scenes work of grassroots organizing. They run major publications, host award-winning podcasts, and lead national policy discussions. They’ve appeared and been cited in all the things from CNN and MSNBC to the Clinton email dumps to the New York Occasions and the Washington Publish.
On this spirit, we’re going to reunite the prolonged Feministing household for a farewell venture—one final hurrah earlier than we sign off for good. Plans are additionally within the works to make sure that the location archives will stay accessible in some capability. Be sure to’re signed up for our newsletter to get updates on all of that, together with an invitation to our (B)logging Off social gathering in NYC!
We’ll see you within the streets.