Weekly Standard, anti-Trump conservative journal, folds

Washington (AFP) – The Weekly Standard, a conservative news magazine that has been staunchly opposed to US President Donald Trump, announcing Friday it is closing in a sign of an increasingly polarized media sector.

Parent firm Clarity Media, led by billionaire Philip Anschutz, said the last edition would be December 17.

Clarity chief executive Ryan McKibben said the news magazine “has been hampered by many of the same challenges that countless other magazines and newspapers across the country have been wrestling with,” and had seen double-digit declines in circulation in recent years.

“For more than 20 years The Weekly Standard has provided a valued and important perspective on political, literary and cultural issues of the day,” said McKibben.

“The magazine has been home to some of the industry’s most dedicated and talented staff and I thank them for their hard work and contributions, not just to the publication, but the field of journalism.”

The magazine was founded by writers Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, who remain a part of the editorial team.

Kristol tweeted on Friday: “All good things come to an end. And so, after 23 years, does The Weekly Standard… We worked hard to put out a quality magazine, and we had a good time doing so. And we have much more to do.”

The magazine strongly supported the policies of president George W. Bush during his two terms in office, but has opposed Trump, notably on issues of tariffs and trade.

A recent editorial harshly criticized Trump as well as the Republicans who have gone along with the president in the face of an investigation linking him to potential criminal acts.

“It is a commonplace, in the Trump era, to say that the old criteria of decency and honor no longer appear to apply,” the magazine said in its December 10 editorial.

“The president’s mendacity is so aggressive, his malfeasance so common, that his everyday behavior no longer surprises and these days rarely elicits condemnation from other Republicans.”

Founded under News Corp, The Weekly Standard was acquired in 2009 by Clarity, which also owns the Washington Examiner, Colorado Springs Gazette and Colorado Politics magazine.