The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor, American daily online newspaper published under the auspices of the First Church of Christ, Scientist. Its original print edition was established in 1908 at the urging of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science, as a protest against the sensationalism of the popular press. The Christian Science Monitor became famous for its thoughtful treatment of the news and for the quality of its long-range comprehensive assessments of political, social, and economic developments. Although funding for the newspaper is subsidized by the publishing activity of the church, the Monitor has editorial independence and is not a religious publication. It remains one of the most-respected American newspapers. Headquarters are in Boston.

At the time of its founding, the Monitor set out to address a national audience, and its circulation grew to 120,000 in its first decade. Notably under Erwin D. Canham, managing editor and editor from 1940 to 1964, it gained worldwide prestige. In 1965 the Monitor revised its format and began printing photographs on the front page, although the paper remained spare and quite selective in its use of illustrations. In 1975 the paper changed to a tabloid format. Colour photography was introduced in the late 1980s. In 2009, because of decreasing circulation and mounting financial difficulties, the Monitor ceased publication of its weekday print edition to focus on Internet publishing; it was the first national newspaper to take such action. Weekly print and daily e-mail editions were also afforded to subscribers. In 2017 the Monitor instituted a subscription plan for its digital content that limited free access.

The newspaper does not accept advertising for alcohol or tobacco, nor does it carry ads for questionable financial investments or books and motion pictures it deems salacious. Its secular news coverage is supplemented by one religious article published daily, according to the original request made by Mary Baker Eddy when the newspaper was founded.

The newspaper won its sixth Pulitzer Prize in 1996, in the category of international reporting for journalist David Rohde’s on-site reporting of the Srebrenica massacre, and received its seventh Pulitzer in 2002 for editorial cartooning. Its website, launched in 1996, has won many awards.