Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

This paper examines the history, organization, and effectiveness of the Democratic Digest, a unique venture into political journalism by the Democratic National Committee. Written in January 1961, the study traces the evolution of the publication from its early 20th-century roots in the women's division to its mid-century transformation into a commercial, digest-sized magazine. The primary objectives of the magazine were to foster party unity, facilitate internal communication, and provide a public voice to counter what Democrats perceived as a pro-Republican one-party press. 

The research details two major phases of the magazine's modern existence. From 1953 to 1956, under editor Clayton Fritchey, the Digest was a 112-page publication patterned after Reader's Digest, utilizing reprints and witty commentary to critique the Eisenhower administration. However, financial losses and criticism that the content was too intellectual led to a reorganization in 1957. Under Samuel C. Brightman, the magazine was reduced in size and price, shifting its focus toward original content specifically designed for precinct workers and party activists. 

In its final years, the Digest served as a critical tool during the 1960 presidential campaign, providing research, platform texts, and rhetorical ammunition for supporters of John F. Kennedy. Despite these contributions, the study notes that the magazine consistently struggled with a deficit and never reached its required circulation goals. Ultimately, the author evaluates the attainment of the publication's goals, concluding that while it successfully served active party members and set a precedent for party communications, its necessity declined once the Democratic Party secured the presidency, as the office of the president provides a more direct and efficient means of public communication.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: The Democratic National Committee (DNC) faced a significant lack of coordination and organization in its political journalism, struggling to maintain the Democratic Digest as a viable unifying force and publicity tool between national elections. 

  • The Method: The author performed a historical evolution analysis of DNC publications from 1921 to 1960 and conducted interviews with key personnel including the magazine's Editor, Managing Editor, and DNC Directors of Research and Finance. 

  • Quantitative Finding: The Democratic Digest incurred a $200,000 deficit over twenty-two months of operation; circulation peaked at approximately 80,000 copies, failing to reach the 150,000 break-even estimate; a study of eighteen issues found that 137 Republicans were quoted 725 times compared to 79 Democrats quoted 219 times. 

  • Qualitative Finding: The publication evolved through six distinct stages from a women's division pamphlet to a commercial news magazine; the 1957 redesign shifted content from reprints to nearly 100% original material to better serve precinct workers; the magazine's primary editorial strategy relied on "anti-Republicanism" and ridicule of the opposition to foster party unity. 

Publication Date

1-1961

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Faculty Sponsor

Archive

Download

Share

COinS