STUMP » Articles » Governing Magazine: In Memoriam » 8 August 2019, 19:39

I just read some sad news: GOVERNING TO CLOSE

After 32 years, the magazine of record for state and local government will discontinue operations.

Governing magazine has told important stories for over three decades. Stories from and about state and local government – what Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis called America’s laboratories of democracy.

So it is with a very heavy heart that we’re announcing that Governing will be discontinuing publication this fall. For the past several years, Governing and our parent company, e.Republic, have made continued investments in the magazine, in governing.com and in the numerous events we host throughout the country. Ultimately, however, Governing has proven to be unsustainable as a business in today’s media environment. We will cease publication of the monthly print magazine after September, and we will be ramping down our web presence and the rest of our operations over the next few months.

We are extremely proud of the work that Governing has done since it was founded in 1987. We have endeavored to cover the issues that matter most to states and cities and counties, and to do it with journalistic integrity and in a way that resonates with our readers in the public sector. Governing has the greatest readers in this business—men and women who have made it their life’s work to improve the lives of the people who live in their communities. It has been an honor to serve them, and to help tell their stories.

We know the great and important work of America’s state and local leaders will continue. The public arena has undergone tremendous financial, political and social change since we began publication 33 years ago. And states and local governments are again at an important time of upheaval. We have loved chronicling that incredible work for the past three decades, and we’re confident that the tremendous work of America’s state and local public servants will go on.

Signed,

Mark Funkhouser
Publisher

Zach Patton
Executive Editor

Elizabeth Daigneau
Managing Editor

August 7, 2019

That is a shame. I’ve used them as a source in many of my posts.

SOME STATS

I checked my own archives, and found 85 posts in which I linked to Governing.com. I have 3 pieces in draft (not including this one), and one I reallllly need to finish before Governing.com is completely gone. I can use archive.org, but it doesn’t necessarily archive every item out there.

Examples of me using them as a source:

• February 2019: On New York Corruption: The Failed Amazon Bribe – used them for pieces on tax incentives
• November 2018: Taxing Tuesday: Election Results – I use their tally on tax-related election results
• June 2019: Taxing Tuesday: I’m Sure Suing the Feds will Really Work for New Jersey – I referenced a Governing piece on the IRS saying “No Clever Tricks to Evade the SALT Cap!”

I remember starting reading it when it was Girard Miller doing the public finance beat, and then Liz Farmer took over from him. I hope Liz Farmer can find a soft landing in the same beat… public finance is definitely a hot topic currently.

Liz Farmer made my

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I WILL MISS THEM

In the past couple years, I got to attend a few Governing roundtables, and heard some very interesting info not only from my fellow people in the finance biz, but from the government side. I can believe that the squeeze on Governing is somewhat a result of the squeeze on government revenues and expenses. When you have to spend more and more on “non-discretionary” items, it doesn’t leave much open to subscriptions to magazines on one’s own business.

So here’s to the years of great work, and I will miss you, Governing.

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