The Public Eye, a quarterly published by Political Research Associates covering the US Right, is a finalist for the 2006 Utne Independent Press Award in the category of General Excellence (newsletters). The Utne Reader will announce the winners in its January/February 2007 issue. Among the other finalists, announced in the November/December 2006 issue of The Utne Reader, are GeneWatch, The Hightower Lowdown, and the American Spectator. In making the nominations, the editors of Utne write:
Every year since 1989, Utne Reader’s staff members have stared down the thousands of independent magazines, journals, alt weeklies, and zines that pack the shelves of our library, determined to come up with a definitive list of the year’s best. It’s never an easy task, and we must admit that the wealth of candidates from 2006 nearly brought us to our knees…
Without any one [of the nominees], the media landscape would be less bright — evidence of the beauty and necessity of an independent press.
“We especially appreciate the recognition this year, when rich insights into the US Right are needed more than ever,” said Katherine Ragsdale, publisher of The Public Eye and director of Political Research Associates. “Abby has done a terrific job in rebuilding The Public Eye since she joined us as editor last year.”
With an editorial board that is a mix of journalists and academics, The Public Eye presents ideas and reportage that go beyond the standard thinking about the US Right. At the same time, its essays and articles avoid the provocative and dismissive tone of too many left of center analysts.
“We live in a divided country, and without understanding those divisions we’ll have a tough time moving our politics forward,” said Abby Scher, editor of The Public Eye.