Quarterly Publication: The Defense Monitor
Some Context
The Defense Monitor is a quarterly publication that has been running for some twenty years. For most of that time, it has been an academic journal catering to universities, industry insiders, and those concerned with the military-industrial complex.Originally a product of the nonprofit Center for Defense Information, The Defense Monitor was taken on by the Project On Government Oversight when the two nonprofits merged in 2012.
In early 2022, I began taking a greater role in shaping The Defense Monitor as a product and determining how the publication can better serve its readers and the organization’s mission.
My Role
I sent a series of surveys in the first part of 2022 to better understand from its current readership what they most valued, and what could change, about the publication. Overwhelmingly, readers favored the information provided by The Defense Monitor, but wanted more content that helped them understand context and the CDI team’s impact.I worked with our external designer, Rachel Freedman, to bring the publication closer to POGO’s existing brand and fold in more future-facing and impact-centered content. I also changed the format to lead with a big, impactful cover and a letter from the director to help communicate the issue’s thrust and bring in more of what the CDI team was working on.
