Congressional Digest

Early in the last century, suffragette Alice Gram Robinson realized that discerning students of the legislative process had few places to turn to for, in her words, “an impartial view of controversial issues.” With the launch of Congressional Digest in 1921, Robinson pioneered what was to become an enduring publication format: the even-handed presentation of opposing views on contentious national questions, Pro & Con. Alice Gram Robinson’s vision of neutral analysis of current controversies is as essential to elevating policy debates in the era of 24/7 cable chatter as trusted, independent journalism was to offsetting a sensationalistic and censored press in the early twentieth century. Today, under the Congressional Digest banner, students, teachers, librarians, policymakers, and other concerned citizens still have a time-honored, impartial source for information on controversial topics – with no agenda beyond the promotion of independent thought and a well-informed electorate.