National Review
National Review is an American conservative opinion magazine founded by William F. Buckley in 1955. The publication is considered one of the most influential voices in American conservatism and, alongside the magazine, operates a widely read website featuring daily commentary.
What you can find
The website publishes opinion pieces, brief reactions to the news, podcasts, and longer essays on politics, law, economics, and culture. Its coverage of gender regularly addresses state legislation, court cases, sports, education, and the medical treatment of minors. One example of this type of coverage is the referendum in Colorado on gender surgery for minors; state-by-state rules can be found under gender-affirming care in the United States. Some articles are accessible only to subscribers.
Why it is on this list
National Review is an opinion magazine with a clear political orientation, not a neutral news source. Its articles are useful for following conservative arguments in the United States. Factual claims are best checked against the original sources. See also international developments.
History and political orientation
The first issue appeared on November 19, 1955. Buckley wanted to give conservative ideas intellectual credibility at a time when liberalism dominated the American debate. The magazine declared that it intended to stand athwart history and yell stop. National Review brought traditionalists, libertarians, and anticommunists together in a single movement, an approach that came to be known as fusionism, while distancing itself from fringe groups such as the John Birch Society. According to The Intercept, the magazine's 1957 editorial, Why the South Must Prevail, still defended the leading position of white Southerners, a stance Buckley later reconsidered. In the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, it published an issue titled Against Trump; afterward, opinions within the editorial staff diverged.
Editorial team and funding
Rich Lowry is editor in chief and Ramesh Ponnuru is an editor. According to Lowry, National Review is a mission, not a profit-making company. In recent years, the magazine has become increasingly dependent on donations, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports. It also sells advertising. The publication's own 2022 media kit lists Chevron, Boeing, Microsoft, and Walmart among its advertisers and reports a print circulation of 75,000 copies.
How to assess this source
National Review authors write from a conservative perspective and make no secret of it. That makes the articles suitable for understanding a line of reasoning, but unsuitable as a sole source. Compare them with the statements and legislative texts themselves, and for the American sports debate see the article on gender and sports and for legislation by country policy by country. Comparable American media outlets on this list include The Daily Signal and The Daily Caller.