The Progressive has announced that longtime Madison journalist and activist Norman Stockwell will be the new publisher for the 107-year-old publication as it continues it tradition of giving a powerful voice to the crucial issues of our time.
“I’m really excited to join a publication with such a rich legacy and history of speaking for progressive issues. It’s a publication that is a voice for peace and justice based here in Madison but really serving a national audience,” Stockwell tells Madison365. “I am so excited by this opportunity to bring my experience and connections in the world of independent media to a new platform.”
Stockwell has spent the last 33 years at WORT Community Radio, a world-renowned listener-sponsored station in Madison. While at WORT he has covered national and international issues with radio reports, print articles and talk programs. For the past 21 years, Stockwell has served as Operations Coordinator at WORT. Before that, he ran a folk music school, worked in a food cooperative, an IWW printshop, and as an archeologist, where he also marketed scientific publications and served as associate editor for a national magazine.
“WORT is an incredible part of the Madison community and is really a gem in the world of community radio,” Stockwell says. “I’ve been honored to be a part of WORT for over three decades and to really work with some of the most incredible, committed and talented people. So many people come into WORT to showcase their passion for the music, the news, and the issues that they talk about on the air and share with the listeners.
“The idea at WORT is not only do you have all of these passionate people that really love the programming that they are putting on, but their goal is to give that away to other people and to share their passion and knowledge with the listening audience,” Stockwell adds.
Stockwell will be bringing his experience and talents to The Progressive, a monthly magazine of investigative reporting, political commentary, cultural coverage, activism, interviews, poetry, and humor.
“We are delighted to have Norm join us,” Ruth Conniff, Editor-in-Chief of The Progressive, said in a statement. “He has been a longtime friend of the magazine and is extremely well respected in the broader alternative media world. We look forward to having his vision and experience to help The Progressive carry on its important legacy and reach new audiences at this critical moment in our country’s history.”
The Progressive champions peace, social and economic justice, civil rights, civil liberties, human rights, a preserved environment, and a reinvigorated democracy. Committed to quality journalism, its bedrock values are nonviolence and freedom of speech.
“One of the things that is exciting about The Progressive Magazine being located here in the Midwest is that it really has become the epicenter for a lot of the attacks we are seeing on workers’ rights and much of the social infrastructure that has been built in this country over the past century,” Stockwell says. “We are uniquely positioned to be able to talk about those issues that other publications on the coasts may not be able to. I think that will be really exciting for us … something we will be able to grow and continue working on.”
Stockwell joins The Progressive with a long and varied history of journalism, a diverse skill set and a goal of working to build on the magazine’s history and legacy.
“The Internet gives us a whole new way to deliver content to many, many different audiences. One of the things that we are hoping to do in the coming months is to reorganize the magazine’s website and make it both easier for the readers to use and easier for getting material up in a timely fashion,” Stockwell says. “I think that it’s a really exciting time for journalism. There are many new opportunities to giving voice to people’s movements and people’s issues who have not had access to the media before — unrepresented and underrepresented segments of our community.”
Stockwell will start work on July 1.
