The Monkey Cage (blog)
{{short description|Political science blog at The Washington Post}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
The Monkey Cage was a political science blog. Established in 2007, it was published by The Washington Post from 2013 through 2022. In 2023 it relaunched as the website Good Authority.
History
The blog was created in 2007 by a small group of academics, in a quest to get people interested in their political science research. It soon attracted writers, gained readers, and won awards{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/01/18/how-academic-blog-monkey-cage-became-part-mainstream-media|title=How academic blog 'Monkey Cage' became part of the mainstream media|website= Inside Higher Ed.|date= 18 Jan 2018|access-date=2020-03-13}}
In 2013, it entered into a three-year publishing deal with The Washington Post, which was renewed several times over the years.{{Cite news|last=Kafka|first=Alexander C.|url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-the-Monkey-Cage-Went-Ape/234821|title=How the Monkey Cage Went Ape|date=2016-01-10|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=2020-03-13|language=en-US|issn=0009-5982}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/08/monkey-cage-to-washington-post-171223.html|title=Monkey Cage to Washington Post|last=Gold|first=Hadas|website=POLITICO|date=26 August 2013 |language=en|access-date=2020-03-13}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2013/08/the-monkey-cage-joins-the-washington-post-in-a-wonkbloggy-538ish-deal/|title=The Monkey Cage joins The Washington Post in a Wonkbloggy, 538ish deal|website=Nieman Lab|access-date=2020-03-13}}
After leaving The Washington Post in 2022, the blog planned to relaunch as an independent site in 2023.{{cite news |author=TMC Editorial Team |date=5 December 2022 |title=A transition for TMC (The Monkey Cage): Moving on from The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/05/transition-tmc-monkey-cage-moving-washington-post/ |newspaper=Washington Post |location= |access-date=30 May 2023}} It has since relaunched as the website Good Authority.{{cite web | title=About | website=Good Authority | date=2023-09-21 | url=https://goodauthority.org/about-ga/ | access-date=2023-11-26}}
Purpose and contents
The blog was created in part to push back on political media coverage and policy discourse that ignored political science research.{{Cite web|last=Nexon|first=Dan|date=2021-07-11|title=The Vision Thing: More on the New Duck|url=https://www.duckofminerva.com/2021/07/the-vision-thing-more-on-the-new-duck.html|access-date=2021-07-14|website=The Duck of Minerva|language=en-US}} The blog's contents have been described as a form of explainer-journalism, as the blog primarily published short editorials by academic political scientists who summarized their political-science research or apply political science to current events. The blog also occasionally published pieces by scholars in related academic disciplines.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/06/10/about-monkey-cage/|title=About The Monkey Cage|date=2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=30 May 2023}}{{Cite journal|author1-link=John M. Sides|last=Sides|first=John|date=2011|title=The Political Scientist as a Blogger|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/political-scientist-as-a-blogger/07BA54293CFEBDA611DB3632C3D92960|journal=PS: Political Science & Politics|language=en|volume=44|issue=2|pages=267–271|doi=10.1017/S1049096511000060|s2cid=154727650 |issn=1537-5935}}
Political scientist Erik Voeten was an editor on The Monkey Cage for some time.{{cite news |title=Erik Voeten |url=https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014Rdd7AAC/erik-voeten |access-date=27 Feb 2024 |publisher=Georgetown University}}
Recognition
In 2011, the blog won "Blog of the Year" by The Week magazine.{{Cite journal|last=Farley|first=Robert|date=2013|title=Complicating the Political Scientist as Blogger|journal=PS: Political Science & Politics|language=en|volume=46|issue=2|pages=383–386|doi=10.1017/S1049096513000061|issn=1049-0965|doi-access=free}}
The blog's content has been cited in numerous newspapers. According to John M. Sides, the blog was visited by 719,000 people and viewed over 2 million times from November 2007 and December 2010.