Hachette-employee group denounces addition of conservative imprint

NEWS AND OPINION:

Ideological disagreements have expanded into the publishing realm. A group of employees at Hachette Book Group have sent a letter to the management of their company condemning the forthcoming launch of Basic Liberty, a new imprint meant for conservative readers.

Thomas Spence, who was former president and publisher of Regnery Publishing for 11 years, is set to head up the new imprint.

“Our focus is on topics of enduring interest rather than transitory political concerns. Conservatism today is a house of many mansions whose occupants pursue intramural debate with as much zeal as they devote to challenging the left. Basic Liberty’s list reflects a wide range of conservative perspectives, the only requirements being intellectual rigor and clarity,” the Basic Liberty mission statement said.

The Hachette employees are not happy — and the disagreement has caught the eye of Publishers Weekly, an industry source.

“As employees of Hachette Book Group, we stand together in firm disapprobation of the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, and any conservative movement or thought that strips away sacred rights and the humanity of people,” the letter reads, according to a Publishers Weekly report Monday.

The employees had more to say in their letter, however — and referred to the presidential election as well.

“We disavow [Hachette CEO] David Shelley’s unsympathetic and insensitive remarks” in announcing the conservative-imprint plan — which were delivered, the letter advised — “shortly after many friends, colleagues, and loved ones were left reeling from election results.”

The wording got even stronger.

“We condemn HBG’s decision to put profit before its own people, to let the promise of financial gain overtake morality and conscience, and to platform a person who contributes to the advancement of the Heritage Foundation’s vision for America,” the letter said.

An unnamed Hachette spokesperson told Publishers Weekly, however, that its “mission is to reach a broad spectrum of readers by making it easier for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment, and opportunity.”

“We publish books from all sides of the political debate,” the spokesperson said.

NOTEWORTHY LEGISLATION

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise compiles “Committee Cliff Notes” a weekly overview of the week’s activities on Capitol Hill. Here’s the latest, from his list:

On Tuesday, the Committee on Rules will address H.R. 7409, the Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act; H.R. 8446, the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2024; and H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act.

On Wednesday, the Veterans Affairs subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs will hold an oversight hearing titled “Our Nation’s Hallowed Grounds: Review of America’s National Cemetery Funeral Operations for Veterans and Servicemembers.”

On Wednesday, a round of applause, please, for the Oversight and Accountability subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation and to its subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs. The two subcommittees will hold a joint hearing called “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth.”

The public is intensely interested in that subject, as is Inside the Beltway.

Moving right along, on Thursday, the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation will hold a hearing called “Snowed In: United States Disinvestment in the Arctic.”

The Oversight select subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic will hold a hearing called “Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Lessons Learned and The Path Forward.”

ANOTHER MEDIA FRENZY

There’s no media honeymoon for President-elect Donald Trump, something that most Republicans, conservatives and some independents already knew would happen. It is not new territory for Mr. Trump, who has waged a nimble pushback against hostile news coverage for some time.

Meanwhile, predictable news organizations already are producing unfriendly and melodramatic coverage about Mr. Trump’s victory. Here are some headlines of that coverage from the last 24 hours:

“Trump is already wielding power and causing massive disruption” (CNN); “Many in government are worried about Trump’s return — at DOJ, they’re terrified” (Politico); “Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish” (The Associated Press); “How a Trump presidency could lead to a purge at the Pentagon” (Reuters); “Trump’s reelection casts a shadow over the start of global climate negotiations” (NPR); “Donald Trump isn’t the only chaos agent” (Wired.com); “Here’s what the Trump presidency could mean for the housing market, experts say” (CNBC); “Americans didn’t vote for what Donald Trump is about to give them” (Rolling Stone); and “Trump and Musk: The bromance that could not last” (The New York Times).

DEMOCRATS’ ’MISTAKE’

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is also at the receiving end of some critical news coverage after its defeat in the election. Here are a few more telling headlines, all from the last 24 hours:

“Democrats deserved to lose” (The Atlantic); “Voters rejected a ‘woke’ America — time for Democrats to listen and learn” (The Hill); “Democrats lost because of their bad policies, not their bad attitude” (New York Magazine); “More Democrats fear the party’s image isn’t just damaged – it’s broken” (Politico); “Still-stunned Democrats begin to squint toward their future” (CNN); “Why the Democrats have been making the same mistake — for 44 years” (The New Republic); and “Bernie Sanders is right: Democrats have abandoned the working class” (The Nation).

POLL DU JOUR

• 39% of U.S. adults “agree strongly” that the process the Democratic Party used to select its presidential nominee did not yield the strongest candidate.

• 58% of Republicans, 43% of independents and 21% of Democrats also agree.

• 22% overall “agree somewhat” that the Democrats’ process did not yield the strongest candidate.

• 18% of Republicans, 25% of independents and 24% of Democrats also agree.

• 12% overall “disagree somewhat” that the Democrats’ process did not yield the strongest candidate.

• 5% of Republicans, 12% of independents and 19% of Democrats also agree.

• 14% overall “disagree strongly” that the Democrats’ process did not yield the strongest candidate.

• 7% of Republicans, 7% of independents and 28% of Democrats also agree.

• 14% overall are “not sure” about the question.

• 12% of Republicans, 14% of independents and 8% of Democrats also agree.

SOURCE: A Tipp Poll of 1,436 U.S. adults conducted online Nov. 7-8.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.