Scientific American

U.S. center-left, pro-science

Background

Scientific American was founded in 1845 and is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. For most of its history it served as a general-audience science digest, publishing contributions from prominent researchers including Albert Einstein. In 2015, it came under the umbrella of Springer Nature, the academic publishing giant formed by a merger of Springer Science+Business Media and Holtzbrinck's Nature Publishing Group. In September 2020, the magazine broke from 175 years of tradition by endorsing Joe Biden for president, arguing that Donald Trump 'rejects evidence and science.' It endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024, only the second presidential endorsement in its history. Critics, including some scientists, argued these endorsements politicized a publication that had traded on scientific credibility. In June 2026, Springer Nature divested Scientific American to LabX Media Group, a Canadian science media company, as part of a broader exit from consumer media. Throughout the second Trump administration, the outlet has run sustained critical coverage of budget cuts to federal science agencies, rollbacks of climate policy, and what it describes as political interference in scientific research.

Sources

1. Scientific American – Wikipedia
2. LabX Media Group Acquires Scientific American (PRWeb)
3. Scientific American Is Being Sold to LabX Media Group – Nieman Lab
4. LabX Media Group Buys Scientific American, Seeks Unionization Halt – A Media Operator
5. Science and the Trump Presidency – Scientific American
6. Trump Administration's Attacks on Science in First 30 Days – Scientific American
7. Vote for Kamala Harris to Support Science, Health and the Environment – Scientific American
8. Scientific American Makes Second-Ever Endorsement, Backs Kamala Harris – Axios
9. Scientific American – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
10. Scientific American Media Bias – AllSides

Profile compiled 2026-07-16; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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