Three weeks after moving into 529 9th St. in Chinatown, The New Republic officially celebrated its new office space on Friday.

“The convenience of the location played a big part,” Chief Operating Officer Sloan Eddleston told FishbowlDC. The office, which sits over the International Spy Museum, features a newsroom with some 30 computers, a library for reporters seeking a quiet respite and a spacious roof deck with a view of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (another selling point).

Eddleston said the space was renovated before the TNR crew could move in and that changes to the office were paid for by the owners of the building. He said TNR has signed a multi-year lease, but declined to say how many years.

Notably, most of the computers in the office are desktop PCs with only two or three Macs. Asked if any of the staffers gripe over who uses which computer, TNR Editor-in-Chief Franklin Foer said no. Actually, most of the computers go unused. “I think you find that most people have laptops,” Foer said, “and they’re working off Macs.”

Foer said it’s “very sweet to be in a place that is our home and will be our home for a long time.” Previously, TNR was taking up shelter in an office sublet by the American Grain Council.

The party featured two fully-stocked open bars and another bar where attendees could sample different liquors. WaPo‘s media reporter Erik Wemple was spotted taking a shot of something dark before heading out onto the deck. Catering included copious amounts of humus and cheese, veggie spreads and an assortment of chips.

Throughout the early evening, Chris Hughes, publisher of TNR, was seen… Read more

Quotes of the Day

Short, sweet and to the point

“I became a newspaperman because of Roger. It’s a debt I can never repay. It’s a cliché I am sure he would never use, but now he has passed on to his everlasting seat in the balcony.” — Politico Columnist Roger Simon in a beautifully brief account of how film critic Roger Ebert poignantly touched his life. Ebert died Thursday. See Simon’s must-read story here.

Ouch!

“Ron Fournier overheard Sen. Paul call Rep. Rigell about guns – and still POLITICO scooped him.” — Politico‘s Dan Berman, who linked to this story. His trash talking victim: National Journal‘s Ron Fournier.

What comes around goes around

TIME‘s Andrew Katz: “Chris Hughes: Politico ‘prefers speed over accuracy,’ after question about TNR wanting to be DC’s New Yorker. Zing?” (TNR Publisher Chris Hughes spoke at Columbia University Thursday.)

Politico‘s Ben White plays defense: “Chris Hughes is partially correct. We prefer speed. But only over slowness.”

What could possibly go wrong?

“Time to double my medication and hope for the best. I probably shouldn’t have been drinking. But who pays attention to the warnings?” — MetroWeekly Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman in his best imitation of Valley of the Dolls. We think he also might be watching too much Conrad Murray on CNN’s AC360.

Reporter could “die” over shitty panel

“Ugh this Newseum panel on journalism is so sanctimonious I could die.” — HuffPost‘s Lucia Graves.

Ex-Roll Callers react to changes

On Thursday we reported a variety of changes at CQ Roll Call, namely that six Roll Call reporters would now be working primarily for CQ.com and reporting to new bosses.

USA Today‘s Paul Singer: “I hate what is happening to Roll Call.”

Politico‘s John Bresnahan: “It’s terrible, a crying shame.”

Reporter explains what it’s like having her name, and HuffPost’s Social Media Editor expected a lot more from Oprah… Read more

By Eddie Scarry and Betsy Rothstein

The New Republic celebrated its relaunch last night at Bibiana Restaurant where politicos and journalists from print and TV mingled with bigwigs like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.J.) and Americans for Tax Reform Prez Grover Norquist over hors d’oeuvres and an open bar. The highlight of the evening: Answering the question, “Who is Franklin Foer?”

Meanwhile, we spoke to Publisher and Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who was all smiles and relaxed. “I’m feeling super exited, energized,” he said, as we cornered him at the bar. “It’s a big moment for us.” Asked if he’s been sleeping, he replied, “I will sleep tonight.”

At around 7:30 p.m. FishbowlDC approached a man with glasses who we mistook for NYT‘s Nate Silver. We were all ready to ask if he was excited to be in the same room as Politico‘s Dylan Byers, who during the presidential election questioned whether Silver was a “one-term celebrity.”

The mystery man in question had a laugh with two other male attendees before denying that he was Silver. Except then he said he was Silver. Then said he wasn’t. Then someone else said he was. Finally, he identified himself as Franklin Foer, editor of TNR (pictured above). But by that point, we didn’t believe that either.

After consulting Google images, it was revealed that he was indeed Foer. It was our mistake, though Foer did acknowledge that he shares “some Semitic features” with Silver.

In a party speech, Hughes said the challenge ahead is to “produce a magazine 20 times a year that is as good” as the relaunch issue, which features an interview with President Obama. He called the TNR team “the best in the business” and said he wants the magazine to “become financially sustainable in the coming years.” In a moment that drew audible awes from the crowd, he admitted, “The day that Frank Foer agreed to come back to TNR was one of the best days of my life.”

Who showed up? See more pictures. Read more

The New Republic magazine relaunches today with a splashy new cover featuring President Obama and a story inside from an Oval Office interview. Launch materials say the newly designed pub is geared toward the “modern reader online and in print.” They say Editor-in-Chief Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook, is bringing “new life” to the operation.

In a letter to readers, Hughes writes, “With this issue, we relaunch The New Republic… We believe that our new hyper-information age is thrilling, but not entirely satisfying. We believe that there must remain space for journalism that takes time to produce and demands a longer attention span – writing that is at once nourishing and entertaining… In 2013, The New Republic can no long be just a magazine. We are a media company that produces live events featuring our staff and other experts, a responsive website designed for social conversation and a mobile life, audio versions of all of our work, a cutting-edge tablet app and, of course, 20 print issues a year.”

He takes a knock at Twitter, writing… Read more