Today, TPM is 20 years old. This December, as we close out one of the most exhausting, stressful, and bizarre years of our lives, we’ll be revisiting and celebrating some of the most interesting and noteworthy events from TPM’s history.
I’ve been an active participant and paying member of this site for eight years, and it’s seen us all through some good times and some hard times. I do appreciate what Josh has created here, and admire the team’s ability to adapt to a changing media world.
My one major complaint is that Josh and the team don’t seem to realize what an incredible asset they have in their very active and very involved reader community. Software bugs go years without resolution, whole areas of the site (e.g. Josh’s editorials) are not allowed comment threads, it’s like we’re this group of people chatting outside the window, not active participants in an on-going conversation.
My proposal for “the next 20 years” would be that you extend that first point to say “Do good journalism and promote a strong and involved community of readers”.
I’ll confess I don’t know what happens to this site “post-Donald”. I’ve seen a number of folks (some of us more vocal than others) complain about this lack of involvement with the readers, and I for one may drop my Prime subscription if I don’t see a shift towards more recognition of reader concern “post-Apocalypse”. In the meantime, I recognize it takes money to deliver the environment in which I’m writing this, so I continue to renew and hope for a “reboot” once we get past this current madness.
Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?!?
But, on this day 20 years ago, TPM was just Josh Marshall.
I remember.
Kudos to Our Gracious Host – and his team.
What I remember most about 20 years ago is how right wingers dominated the news media while at the same time always complaining about the media having a left wing bias. For example anyone else remember MSNBC cancelling its top rated program because its host, Phil Donahue, disagreed with Bush over the Iraq War.
Well we are far from where we should be, TPM has helped bring the news media part of the way back from Republican-right wing control.
Congratulations Josh and the rest of the team? I started reading the site in early 2001. It was probably linked from another site. I thought the writing and opinions were excellent, so I continued to read and have continued ever since. I remember thinking how funny the site looked compared to other sites. There was a small, 4"(?) column down the middle of the page. I hadn’t seen that before. Now you have 3 columns and other sites have similar layouts. Were you an innovator?
Again, congratulations, and thank you for 20 years of quality news and opinion.
Just don’t have any illusions about the maturity of your audience–from a 20 year man.
I was not a reader on the first day, but certainly was by the end of the first week. I was a 2L former resident of Florida, and desperate for news and real analysis of what Olson was up to. I have been a daily reader since then. This has become such a great operation, excelling not just in the journalism but in the careers that have developed and grown here.
Looking forward to another great 20 years!
I was sent here on day 2 or 3 by Media Whores Online, where TPM was one of a half-dozen trusted links.
I’ve been a reader since close to the beginning, and a subscriber (I think) since that option, and always an admirer. One little point: since TPM is otherwise so admirable, I am greatly disturbed when the occasional bit of illiteracy slips through. (Can’t think of an instance at the moment, but they do occur.) A bit more attention to copy-editing would be welcome.
Well, since you bring it up: The article above is wonderful and shows what Our Gracious Host and his team have achieved, but it does contain a few … imperfections!
You did ask.
Well, not exactly – but anyway I’m out. Have a great week-end!
I’m proud to be a subscriber.
I am not sure exactly when I joined. I suspect around 2008 shortly before or after the general election. It has been a great place to drop in and out of.
I started reading in 2008 in the lead up to the election, and quickly got addicted. It was one of the few things that got me through the stress of that election season. And since then, it has continued to help me digest the news of the day through all the times where it seemed like too much to take.
It took me years to finally register an account… I don’t normally do online forums, and this is the only online community I’m involved in. But I always read and appreciated the comments, throughout all the many iterations of comment board versions, and eventually was brave enough to jump in. I think we all agree this community is an invaluable part of TPM. The commenters add excellent context, additional info, personal experience, and humor (even the puns!). For that reason, I really want to thank the mods, who do an excellent job keeping this forum a place that is enjoyable to participate in. THANK YOU, MODS!
And thanks to everyone here for their insight, and for being so welcoming and fun.
And thanks Josh and all the TPM writers and staff for keeping this awesome place going. I know it ain’t easy, but it is very much appreciated!! Congrats on 20!
I always think of TPM as having three facets:
There is JMM the person we have grown up with, who built this place with his insight into the political world.
There is the reporting and staff of the dedicated who continue to bring us news often months before the mainstream.
Then there is the TPM commenting community, a dedicated core of the diverse. Often it is straight to the hive, rather then the article, I go to get depth, and of course that high quality TPM humor and snark.
Back in the original “Cafe” days I recall being chastised for placing too much trust in TPM and Josh’s reporting, faith in the comments of our small community, that it made me simple. Simple. Nothing simple about it, Josh had a plan, it changed and grew, changed and grew some more, He shared his life, even his family, even as we grew and changed, 35k subscribers, that’s one hell of a family, far from simple and a big responsibility… not much more I can add but a hat tip to JMM, it’s been a great ride, and looking forward to the next twenty years, all the political good and bad and ugly we can expose, to keep polishing this gem, our TPM.
Oh wow, Media Whores Online!! Balloon Juice and Jesus’ General and The Smoking Gun and what was Tbogg’s site called? Whatever happened to Firedog Lake? I stopped going there before Obama was elected I think.
The heady days of the new millennium and internet news…
An evergreen comment here, if ever there were one.
I can only think of one instance in 20 years here where there was a serious factual error. Although I’m sure there are others, TPM by far the most trustworthy site I read. A big part of that is its willingness to be transparent, and not attempting to spin stories into a both-siderist fantasy land in an attempt to appear to be above the fray.
Big congrats from down Texas way ! Austin of course, the big blue dot in the big red state. I know I started reading TPM in early 2002, I was new to the whole internet experience having bought my first PC at the end of 2001. I had just transferred into an office job for what is now ATT. I retired end of 2018 but back then I was working graveyard shift for a call center that only worked state government accounts. The nice part was that 98% of state offices were closed so the late techs were there per contract in case of emergencies which were thankfully rare. So I had 8 paid hours to kill and used it " surfin’ the web ", finding out just what might be out there… A love of the Firesign Theater took me to a political humor site called Bartcop and Bartcop had a link to Talking Points Memo on it’s recommended list. And it was just Josh and his insights/observations and I loved it straightaway. Definitely liberal oriented but not too far left with informed insights into how things actually work in DC. I liked that Josh was upfront and proud of his Jewish heritage but was not afraid to call bullshit on the Israeli government. I’ve been a daily reader and now commentator ever since. And it’s been wonderful to see the site grow and flourish without it’s losing sight of what brought so much loyalty from its readers. And many, many kudos to the the staff writers Josh has hired, the best staff in the political world IMHO. I use TPM articles to illustrate any points that I might be trying to make in my personal posts, they have always been %100 correct and I have never had to apologize for getting something wrong relying on them. All in all a just amazing 20 years, not sure who else has achieved or deserved such remarkable fortune. Now kick back and let’s start another 20 !
Congratulations Josh. I remember this joint in 2003. That’s when I found it.
If I remember right, Andrew Sullivan (The Dish), announced an upcoming new blog by a journalist he respected, viz. Josh Marshall. I was here on the first day or at least during the first week. I don’t do much in The Hive, but it’s been a great 20 years. Thanks Josh and Joe and all the staff.
