Alan Rusbridger succeeds Tom Clark, who has been editing the title since 2016. Prospect has steadily gained influence since it was launched in 1995 as a general-interest periodical covering politics, culture and current affairs, say the publishers.
Rusbridger was editor-in-chief of the Guardian from 1995 to 2015, taking it from being a printed paper to one of the most successful news websites in the world. Rusbridger won numerous awards, including the European Press Prize, Editor of the Year, the Ortega y Gasset Prize, the Right Livelihood Award, the Marie Colvin Award and the Harvard University Goldsmith Career Award. He led the Guardian to the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
He is a member of the Facebook Oversight Board; chairs the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and sits on the Board of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. His memoir about journalism, Breaking News, was published in 2018 and his most recent book, News and How to Use It, was published in 2020.
For the past six years he has been Principal at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where he established a groundbreaking Foundation Year for students from under-represented backgrounds, a version of which is soon to be rolled out across both Cambridge and Oxford Universities. He wrote about the scheme in Prospect in October 2018.
Rusbridger said: “I am delighted to become the next editor of Prospect, which I have read with interest and admiration since it was launched more than 25 years ago.
“Prospect is a cradle of ideas, good writing and thoughtful debate. Independent in its ownership and politics, it’s a meeting point where people can argue, agree – or simply agree to differ. It’s an ever-more important space in a polarised society which sometimes feels as if it’s lost the art of listening. As the pace of journalism speeds up – mirroring life in general – Prospect works to a different, more thoughtful, rhythm.
“Tom Clark has done a brilliant job of editing the magazine for the past five years, and I’m very pleased that he will continue to write for it as a contributing editor.”
Prospect had an average circulation of 32,258 in 2020, according to ABC data. The website, which was overhauled at the start of this year, has, according to the publishers, seen its readership grow rapidly since 2016.
The magazine is published by the Resolution Group as part of its not-for-profit public interest activities, which also include the Resolution Foundation, an independent think tank focused on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes. The Resolution Group contains the private commercial and philanthropic interests of Sir Clive Cowdery, who is the Chairman of Prospect magazine.
Rusbridger’s first issue will be the Winter Double edition, available on newsstands from mid-December.
I am delighted to have attracted Alan – the leading editor of his generation – to take the role of editor of Prospect.
Clive Cowdery
Clive Cowdery said: “I am delighted to have attracted Alan – the leading editor of his generation – to take the role of editor of Prospect. Those who read Prospect relish its quality and rigour. Under Alan’s direction, more people will get to appreciate these qualities.”
Tom Clark said: “Editing Prospect for five years has been the privilege of a lifetime, and it has been wonderful to see the faith of the publisher and the work of the team recognised in various awards and a doubling of our online reach. But there is scope for the magazine to step up another gear. And having worked for many years under Alan at the Guardian, I know he is exactly the person to do just that. I’m delighted to hand over to him, and look forward to working closely with him – and the Prospect team – in the years ahead.”
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