Since this post first went live on the morning of 06/23, I have received additional information that is much more encouraging than what was communicated originally. Thus I am updating this post with the welcome news that efforts to re-home History News Network are ongoing. I am grateful to HNN’s editor, Michan Connor, for clarifying further:
“HNN’s editor Michan Connor notified a group of contributing writers that History News Network, which has a 22-year legacy of putting the news in historical perspective, will be ending its relationship with the George Washington University due to a lack of funding for its ongoing operations. This is a situation which will result in the suspension of publishing new content, hopefully temporarily, while HNN explores rehoming possibilities.”
Hearing about these efforts to rehome this important initiative is encouraging news for historians. For nearly twenty-two years now, HNN has been doing solid work, attracting original articles from both high-profile historians and ones who are, well, less so. And—this is a key point of distinction—it was focused on publishing content specifically by professional historians, utilizing their expertise to explain ongoing news.
While some leaders and members of the AHA have been having an intense knock-down drag-out fight over presentism, HNN has been quietly publishing a lot of top rate content demonstrating why the expertise of historians of all periods matters for understanding the crises of today.
HNN’s editor Michan Connor is going to offer more information later today or early next week, so I look forward to learning more myself and sharing an update soon.