Jay Harris

In addition to Mother Jones magazine Jay Harris is also chief executive officer of Mother Jones' non-profit parent, the Foundation for National Progress. During his tenure, the organization has built on its tradition of groundbreaking public interest reporting while growing circulation to unprecedented levels. Paid circulation of the magazine for first half 2004 was 236,000, putting Mother Jones among the largest of American thought-leader magazines. In 2001 Mother Jones was awarded the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, its fourth NMA. In 2003 the publication was again a finalist for that award.

Believing that Mother Jones' investigative content and its 28-year-old brand have importance and audience potential beyond print media, Jay has overseen the launch and development of MotherJones.com, Mother Jones' popular web site, and has negotiated deals to supply Mother Jones material to both "Inside Edition" and PBS's "Frontline.” Other media projects are pending. Jay is a frequent radio and television guest, appearing on Talk of the Nation, C-Span and many other shows, and has been a featured speaker at conferences of the Social Venture Network, Greenfest, Bioneers and Businesses for Social Responsibility. He has taught magazine management at the University of California Graduate School of Journalism. His essay on the state of the news business – “What’s Missing from Your News?” – was published in The Business of Journalism (New Press, 2000).

Jay is vice chair of the Independent Press Association and on the steering committee of the Magazine Publishers of America Independent Magazine Advisory Group (IMAG). He recently joined the board of advisors of Free Speech TV.

Before joining Mother Jones in 1991, Jay was general manager of Newsweek's Pacific edition, based in Hong Kong, with oversight of circulation programs in 24 Asian and South Pacific nations. From 1985 through 1988, he was publisher of the Asia edition of Travel & Leisure magazine. From 1982 to 1985, after graduating from the Yale School of Management, he worked in New York for Newsweek International where he was director of special projects. He holds a B.A. in English from Duke University and a masters in management from the Yale School of Management.