So long, and thanks for all the clicks

March 11, 2025 13 Reactions

This is the last article published on Mercator. Sadly, after 20 years, we are closing our doors.

I used to say that Mercator (which was born as MercatorNet) was the world’s only dignitarian magazine. We explained: “It’s not about left or right, liberal or conservative; it’s about firm, unchanging moral principles, common sense, and evidence.”

For the most part, I’d say we have been faithful to those ideals. Our readers responded enthusiastically as we journeyed together across the ever-changing internet.

There has been a lot to write about. Politics around the world has been volatile, and social trends have been manic.

Here’s an example of how much I had to learn. Our About Us page once stated: “How do we define human persons?They are men and women (that’s right, nothing in between) who have an intellect to know the truth and a free will." This might have been a bit pompous but it was otherwise unobjectionable. So I was astonished to receive an email in 2012 claiming that these words were a concession to “rightist ideologues.” I honestly didn’t know what he/she/it/they/zie was talking about. I have since been educated about this incendiary issue.

Technology changed, as readers deserted desktops for mobile phones. Video surged in popularity—then, unexpectedly, podcasting did too. In 2005, our monochrome website was appalling. But somehow, its dignitarian stance attracted readers and donations, and gradually, we evolved into an attractive, smoothly functioning website.

We have certainly given Mercator our best shot. We made an impact on hearts and minds—our ultimate aim from the beginning. It was never going to be a profit-making venture.

However, we have been facing headwinds. In 2005, there were very few magazines on the internet that appealed to the socially conservative segment of the market. By 2025 that number had exploded, especially after Covid.

As the technical quality of websites has improved, more and more money is needed to keep up with the competition. Our team studied our predicament carefully and concluded that we couldn’t afford to continue.

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As I look back over 20 years, I must express my gratitude to all our authors and to everyone who has supported us financially and administratively.

I’m especially grateful to Carolyn Moynihan, our former deputy editor. She is a wonderful editor and writer—and a very generous and patient colleague. It’s amazing that we worked so well together, even though she lives in Auckland and I live across the Ditch in Sydney.

I also want to thank the Board of the New Media Foundation, which has patiently offered advice and guidance as we moved forward. Tim Lee, our comments editor, worked doggedly in his thankless role. Jean Seah worked from Brisbane and Singapore as our social media editor and copy editor while caring for her growing family.

We have featured many talented writers who consistently contributed articles that were entertaining, informative, and … dignitarian.

Unfortunately, we only have space to single out our contributing editors. Louis T. March wrote tirelessly about the coming demographic winter from the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Kurt Mahlburg was our resident scourge of wokeness from Sydney, Indonesia, Milwaukee, and Adelaide. Xavier Symons provided great insights on bioethics from Boston and Sydney. From Kenya, Mathew Otieno offered our readers a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities people face in Africa. And Father Gavan Jennings organized many excellent book reviews from Dublin. It was a truly international team.

Weekly cartoons by Brian Doyle added pizazz to the website. Over the years, he drew about 200 of them in his distinctive, hallucinogenic style.

Finally, a big shout-out to our donors, big and small, over the years. You made it happen. Even the latest Porsche stays in the garage without petrol. You bought the high-octane fuel that kept us humming for 20 years. Thank you.

www.mercatornet.com will remain online as an archive for the next three years so that you can access your favourite articles. You can still contact me, the editor, at [email protected]. Feel free to reach out.

I am bowing out, thank God, before AI supplants editors and makes writers unnecessary. I asked ChatGPT to compose an appropriate valedictory conclusion to this article. It suggested: "We’ve closed the tabs, logged out, and cleared our cookies—but the conversation doesn’t have to end."

See what I mean? Am I right or what?

Michael Cook was editor of Mercator

Image credit: Pexels

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Tim Lee commented 2025-03-16 09:07:36 +1100

Thanks for your feedback and question, Richard. Speaking as one of Mercator’s biggest fans, I have not found any other magazine with the quality, balance and coverage that we have come to expect of Mercator.

There is a list of conservative sites here:
https://www.slightlyoffensive.com/conservative-news-sites/

And here:
https://www.thoughtco.com/top-conservative-magazines-3303617

Most are US-centric or paywall-restricted or both, and many are too one-sided for my liking – “Far-Right” according to the mainstream media, which harps on about this but not about “Far Left”. Our competitors are better funded and may look nicer but their content does not, in my opinion, measure up to Mercator’s standards and focus on human dignity.

Nor do the few conservative sites included in Wikipedia’s list of “political magazines” – dominated by left-leaning sites – fill the vacuum left by Mercator’s absence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_magazines

It’s a bit disheartening that Mercator is not mentioned on any of these. This reinforces Michael’s point about trying to make ourselves heard over the well-heeled competition for clicks.
Michael Cook commented 2025-03-15 12:49:05 +1100

FROM RICHARD STITH:
“Michael, you will be sorely missed. Carolyn and all your great writers, too. The breadth and depth and balance and wisdom of Mercator was unique. I recall one hostile news story a while ago about conservatives which mentioned Mercator, or rather MercatorNet, as far more trustworthy & worth reading than any of the others. You say that there are now many news sources that could be considered competition, but I do not know of any. Could you mention a few that are worth checking out? I promise not to consider your mention as an endorsement, just something worth checking out. Thank you.
Richard”
Andy Mullins commented 2025-03-13 10:49:14 +1100

Two decades of terrific content. I have learned so much from Mercatornet. Thank you Mike for this great service. Please don’t stop writing and tell us where to read it!
Hendrik van der Breggen commented 2025-03-13 04:27:15 +1100

I and no doubt many others are deeply saddened to see Mercator close its doors. Thanks for all your work over the last 20 years! Best wishes from Manitoba, Canada!
Anon Emouse commented 2025-03-12 22:26:36 +1100

Sad to see this shut down; it’s been enlightening, engaging, and fun. Wish all of you well.
Ryszard Stocki commented 2025-03-12 20:19:03 +1100

I am following you from Poland. And I must say I am very, very sorry that you have not survived the contemporary competition. I was thinking what made you so attractive for me and I think it was a touch of community and common values and lach of institution. Probably your greatest strength became your weakness in our times. Thank you for your presence in inspiration of manyof my actions and writings. Hope to see you somewhere again. Ryszard
Emberson Fedders commented 2025-03-12 12:38:11 +1100

Who knows indeed? Quite a way between New Mexico and Western Australia, but never say never!
Michael Cook commented 2025-03-12 12:08:21 +1100

Merci beaucoup, Marcel. Very, very kind of you. I am delighted that you found our articles useful in Quebec. Warm regards, Michael Cook
Marcel Bérubé commented 2025-03-12 11:58:20 +1100

Michael, Carolyn, & als.

Depuis vingt ans, vous avez informé et éclairé des gens de partout autour de la planète Bleue – c’est pour cette raison que je désire vous écrire, cette fois-ci, dans ma langue maternelle. Je tiens à vous remercier, vous et tous vos collaborateurs, pour la qualité de la majorité des articles que j’ai lus ici depuis près de 20 ans. C’est avec regret que je m’incline devant la situation. Merci du fond du cœur.

Que Dieu vous bénisse.

Marcel B.
Québec (City)
Canada
mrscracker commented 2025-03-12 11:51:27 +1100

God bless you each at Mercator. Thank you for sharing your comments Mr.Fedders.
Perhaps one day we’ll get to have a conversation over those glasses of sweet tea. Who knows?
🙂
Emberson Fedders commented 2025-03-11 22:49:41 +1100

Thanks all.

Anon Emouse – I felt like you were the voice of reason around here.

Mrs Cracker – you always offered an interesting – and different – view on things.

I don’t know who either of you are, but I’ve enjoyed our (verbal) jousting.

Cheers!
James Dougall commented 2025-03-11 18:57:10 +1100

Sad to see you go Mercator team! No doubt you all will be off to bigger and even better things! I have enjoyed reading all of your contributors. One not mentioned by you above is Karl D Stephan whose articles on technology, engineering and related issues were unfailingly informative and apt.
Michael Cook published this page in The Latest 2025-03-11 16:03:19 +1100