A Milestone and a Challenge   

As AJR turns 25, the field it covers and loves is at a crossroads.

It was an unforgettable moment.

We were in some sketchy bar many years ago when Wally Malone--Philadelphia Daily News reporter, self-described corner boy and raconteur extraordinaire--turned to me and said, "Kid, I'd give anything to be 32 again."

I was maybe 24 at the time, and believe me, I couldn't wait to turn 32. When I finally did, it was a fine year. But I'm afraid that nothing quite as momentous happened to me as whatever it was that Wally had experienced.

Nevertheless, as was so often the case, the Sage of Schuylkill was on to something. In every lifetime there are those special birthdays and anniversaries, numbers that mark an important milestone.

This year is one of those for AJR. The magazine, launched as Washington Journalism Review by a young entrepreneur named Roger Kranz, then nurtured by Jessica and Henry Catto and later the University of Maryland's J-school, is turning 25.

In a field with an extraordinarily high mortality rate, in a niche where dollars are exceedingly hard to come by, hanging in for a quarter-century is, as they say, not nothing.

While the magazine has changed quite a bit, one thing has been a constant: a conviction that the mission is important, a belief that media criticism matters. Journalism, whether in New York or Nacogdoches, whether in print or on the air or in cyberspace, plays a critical role in our democracy. Given its significance, it needs to be scrutinized as closely as it scrutinizes everyone else.

To mark the occasion, we thought we'd take a look at the dramatic transformation during those 25 years of the fascinating field we cover.

For the big picture, we once again turned to Marc Fisher, the Washington Post columnist and regular AJR contributor who last year did such a fine job putting into perspective what September 11 meant to journalism (see "Meeting the Challenge," October 2001).

Other parts of the package, which starts on page 20, include Washington author and journalist William Prochnau on newspapers (Bill wrote two excellent installments of our State of the American Newspaper series); Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi, who has written frequently on the subject in the Post and AJR, on TV news; AJR editors Kathryn S. Wenner and Jill Rosen respectively on radio news and magazines; and AJR new-media columnist Barb Palser on online journalism.

In addition, AJR Managing Editor Lori Robertson takes a fond look back at the magazine's ups and downs.

Robertson herself is a great AJR success story. I got to know her when she was administrative director of the Casey Journalism Center for Children and Families, whose offices at the time were in the same house as AJR's. It wasn't long before Lori became part of the AJR family; you couldn't help but like her energy and verve.

One day we were talking and she told me she was thinking of getting a master's in creative writing. I asked to see something she had written and was instantly impressed. After that Lori began freelancing each month for the Free Press section. When the assistant managing editor job opened up, Lori made a run at it, and I couldn't think of a good reason not to give it to her. Three-and-a-half years later, with great enthusiasm, I promoted her to ME.

Another great AJR saga is that of Lissa Reynolds. Then known as Lissa Cronin, she joined the magazine as a 24-year-old ad coordinator in February 1992, a couple of months after I came on the scene. Lissa and AJR were a perfect fit--not long after she arrived, she declared that she would work at the magazine until she retired.

In her next position, as production assistant, Lissa implemented the design ideas of the art director. It soon became clear that Lissa not only had excellent design skills but possessed the soul of a journalist as well. She became art director, overseeing both the look and the production of the magazine and in the process becoming a true partner in the enterprise.

While this is an exciting time for AJR, it's a challenging one for the field. Fisher's overview has its share of downbeat notes, as does the column by my longtime partner in crime Tom Kunkel. Sure there are causes for concern. But that doesn't mean it's time to give up the fight. One sign of hope: the way the news media stepped up big after September 11.

Powerful public-service journalism remains essential. All the more reason to hold those who practice it accountable.