Even the Liberal Franklin Foer Takes Over The New Republic

Franklin Foer becomes editor of The New Republic next week, in what Foer tells The New York Times is "the first bloodless transition in many years." He also says the magazine "deserves its self-seriousness," though he hopes "to transcend that self-seriousness and produce journalism that people read." Erik Wemple of the Washington City Paper remarks that "They are stuck in their own legacy, which is this thing about how, 'You can never pin us down.' But in fact, no one cares to pin them down in the first place."

And outgoing editor Peter Beinart? His plans, like his magazine, are hard to pin down, but according to the Times he "has a book to promote and ambitions of returning to longer form writing."

Bonus links: Reason reviewed Foer's book on soccer and globalization here. My sole contribution to The New Republic (aside from a smartassed letter to the editor about Timothy McVeigh) is here. The one known subscriber to The New Republic for Kids is here.