The Christian Science Monitor
Founded to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.
The Christian Science Monitor, often called The Monitor, is a nonprofit news organization based in Boston. It publishes daily online articles and a weekly print magazine. Founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper by Mary Baker Eddy—the founder of the Christian Science movement and the Church of Christ, Scientist—the Monitor was created partly in response to criticism from the *New York World*. Eddy insisted on including “Christian Science” in the paper’s name, despite initial pushback from some advisors. She believed the paper could counteract the fear spread by sensational media, stating that a periodical of their own would “reach many homes with healing, purifying thought.” Her declared mission for the Monitor was “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” Seven Monitor journalists have won Pulitzer Prizes: Edmund Stevens (1950), John Hughes (1968), Howard James (1968), Robert Cahn (1969), Richard Strout (1978), David S. Rohde (1996), and Clay Bennett (2002).
In the 20th century, the Monitor expanded into broadcasting. From 1984 to 1997, the Church of Christ, Scientist produced MonitorRadio, which offered several hour-long news broadcasts daily and top-of-the-hour bulletins, widely heard on U.S. public radio. The Monitor also launched a shortwave radio service, the World Service of the Christian Science Monitor, which aired news on weekdays and religious programming on weekends; it ceased on June 28, 1997. In 1986, the Monitor began a syndicated television series, *The Christian Science Monitor Reports*, which won a Peabody Award in 1988 for reports on Islamic fundamentalism. That same year, the series was canceled, and the Monitor created a daily TV program, *World Monitor*, anchored by former NBC correspondent John Hart, initially airing on the Discovery Channel. In 1991, *World Monitor* moved to the Monitor Channel, a 24-hour news channel launched on May 1, 1991, using programming from Boston station WQTV. The only religious content was a five-minute Christian Science program each morning. After eleven months, the channel shut down in 1992 due to huge financial losses. Its programming was also carried nationally via the WWOR EMI Service.
In the 21st century, the print edition struggled, and in 2004 the church mandated that the Monitor earn a profit. The organization turned to the Internet, having been an early adopter: it put text online in 1996, launched a PDF edition in 2001, and pioneered RSS feeds. In 2005, Christian Science practitioner Richard Bergenheim became editor; he was replaced in 2008 by John Yemma, a former *Boston Globe* editor and Monitor reporter, shortly before Bergenheim’s death. In 2006, freelance reporter Jill Carroll was kidnapped in Baghdad while on assignment for the Monitor. The paper worked for her release and hired her as a staff writer after her abduction to provide financial benefits; she was freed after 82 days. Starting in August 2006, the Monitor published her first-person account of the ordeal. In October 2008, citing net losses of $18.9 million per year against $12.5 million in revenue, the Monitor announced it would stop daily print publication. The last daily print edition appeared on March 27, 2009. The weekly magazine continues the legacy of the Monitor’s London edition (a weekly launched in 1960) and the World Edition (which replaced it in 1974). Mark Sappenfield became editor in March 2017, and Christa Case Bryant succeeded him in February 2025.
The Monitor is not primarily a religious paper and does not evangelize, though each issue typically includes one religious-themed article in the Home Forum section, often tied to current events. It covers topics such as natural disasters, disease, mental health, homelessness, terrorism, and death. Its editorials have opposed government interference in individuals’ healthcare choices, supported the separation of church and state, and opposed teaching fundamentalist biblical interpretations in science classrooms. In 1997, the *Washington Report on Middle East Affairs* praised the Monitor for its objective coverage of Islam and the Middle East. During Nelson Mandela’s 27 years in prison in South Africa, the Monitor provided notable coverage.
- founder
- Mary Baker Eddy
- headquarters
- Boston
- type
- Nonprofit news organization
- last_daily_print_edition
- March 27, 2009
Verified Timeline
Quick Facts
- Motto
- ... to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.
- Owners
- Christian Science Publishing Society
- Headquarters
- 210 Massachusetts Avenue / Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. 02115
- Editor
- Christa Case Bryant
- Oclc
- 35351012
- Issn
- 0882-7729
- Website
- csmonitor.com
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Eddy founded the Monitor in 1908 in part as a response to the New York World's consistent criticism of her. She required the inclusion of 'Christian Science' in the paper's name, over initial opposition by some of her advisors. Eddy saw a need to counteract fear spread by media reporting, writing: 'Looking over the newspapers of the day, one naturally reflects that it is dangerous to live, so loaded with disease seems the very air. These descriptions carry fears to many minds, to be depicted in some future time upon the body. A periodical of our own will counteract to some extent this public nuisance; for through our paper, at the price at which we shall issue it, we shall be able to reach many homes with healing, purifying thought.' She declared that The Monitor's mission should be 'to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.'
In the 20th century, the Monitor expanded into radio with MonitorRadio (1984–1997), a shortwave World Service (ceased June 28, 1997), and television—first The Christian Science Monitor Reports (1986–1988, winning a Peabody Award in 1988), then World Monitor on the Discovery Channel, and finally the Monitor Channel, a 24-hour news channel launched May 1, 1991, which shut down in 1992 after eleven months amid huge financial losses. In the 21st century, the Monitor faced financial struggles and shifted to digital. In October 2008, citing net losses of US$18.9 million per year versus US$12.5 million in annual revenue, the Monitor announced it would cease printing daily and instead print weekly editions; the last daily print edition was published on March 27, 2009. The weekly magazine follows on from The Monitor's London edition, also a weekly, which launched in 1960, and the weekly World Edition, which replaced the London edition in 1974.
Reader's Guide
The Christian Science Monitor is not primarily a religious-themed paper and does not evangelize, though each issue usually contains a single religious-themed article in the Home Forum section. The paper reports on issues including natural disasters, disease and mental health issues, homelessness, terrorism, and death. Its editorials have advocated against government interference in an individual's right to choose their own form of healthcare, support the separation of church and state, and have opposed efforts to teach fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible in science classrooms. In 1997, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs praised The Monitor for its objective and informative coverage of Islam and the Middle East. During the 27 years Nelson Mandela was in prison, The Christian Science Monitor was one of the newspapers he was allowed to read. Five months after his release, Mandela visited Boston and stopped by The Monitor offices, telling the staff, 'The Monitor continues to give me hope and confidence for the world's future' and thanking them for their 'unwavering coverage of apartheid.' During the era of McCarthyism—a term first coined by The Monitor—the paper was one of the earliest critics of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. The Monitor has won seven Pulitzer Prizes: Edmund Stevens (1950, International Reporting), R. John Hughes (1968, International Reporting), Howard James (1968, National Reporting), Robert Cahn (1969, National Reporting), Richard Strout (1978, Special Citations and Awards), David Rohde (1996, International Reporting), and Clay Bennett (2002, Editorial Cartooning). In popular culture, Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel Brave New World references The Monitor as changing its name to The Fordian Science Monitor, and Sylvia Plath's 1963 novel The Bell Jar notes Esther Greenwood could not read it due to how it 'treated suicides and sex crimes and airplane crashes as if they didn't happen.'
Did You Know?
- The Monitor was founded in 1908 in part as a response by Mary Baker Eddy to the New York World's consistent criticism of her.
- The term 'McCarthyism' was first coined by The Monitor.
- During Nelson Mandela's 27 years in prison, The Christian Science Monitor was one of the newspapers he was allowed to read.
- The Monitor's shortwave radio service, the World Service of the Christian Science Monitor, ceased operations on June 28, 1997.
- In Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel Brave New World, The Monitor is renamed The Fordian Science Monitor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Monitor's editorial mission?
The organization's stated purpose is to 'injure no man, but to bless all mankind,' which shapes its coverage and sets it apart from profit-driven outlets. This philosophy remains central to how the newsroom approaches its reporting.
What happened to The Monitor's daily print edition?
The final daily print edition went to press on March 27, 2009. The organization transitioned to a weekly print format while continuing to publish its full daily coverage electronically.
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