With eye-catching photos and engaging articles, The Week Junior US brings everything from current events to interviews with inspiring people to puzzles and activities for the child between the ages of 8 and 14 to the pages between its covers. Celebrating one year in print, the brand launched precisely at the moment the world was shutting down due to the pandemic.

Andrea Barbalich is the editor in chief of The Week Junior. I spoke with Andrea recently and we talked about the particular challenges that launching a brand new newsmagazine at the onset of a pandemic presented, especially one for children. About how the brand has to present its stories clearly and concisely for kids, bringing in that divine element that the adult version of The Week has always been known for: truth and an unbiased reporting that is both refreshing and desperately needed in today’s time of opinion journalism.

The Week Junior is subscription-based and promises to speak directly to kids ages 8-14 in a way that is truthful, clear, and age-appropriate. And if its first year of success is any indication, Andrea said the brand has approximately 80,000 subscribers, the brand is keeping that promise.

So now please enjoy the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Andrea Barbalich, editor in chief, The Week Junior US.

On publishing a weekly print and digital brand during a pandemic: It’s a challenge to launch a magazine anytime and to be launching a weekly newsmagazine is another level of difficulty, and doing it during a pandemic added another layer of complexity. We launched the magazine at the precise moment that the world was shutting down due to the Coronavirus. In fact, it was declared a pandemic the week prior to our first deadline. It was definitely challenging, but the way it turned out the timing actually couldn’t have been better, because at that moment when children’s lives were changing dramatically, they needed a guide to understand what was going on around them. 

On the challenges she faced and how she overcame them: We’ve never had a slow news week at The Week Junior. We launched during the pandemic and this was a difficult story for adults to understand, so explaining it to children was a challenge. Shortly after that George Floyd was killed and the protests for racial justice began around the country. That was very difficult to explain as well. Right after that we moved into a very divisive political campaign, followed by a chaotic aftermath of the election. Then there was the riot at the capitol and there was an impeachment. So there has been no shortage of difficult stories to explain to children. I think that the way that we’ve been able to handle them is a big part of the success and a big part of the reason that we were able to gain the trust of children and their parents so quickly. 

On the role she thinks print has played in the success story of The Week Junior: Children are looking for something interesting and wonderful to read. They are not as focused on the platform as adults are. It’s our mission to engage children and we’re fulfilling that mission. But I do think there’s something very special about receiving the magazine in the mailbox every week. It is a treat for the child; it’s something special that comes to their home with their name on it. And it’s just for them.

On whether the magazine has exceeded expectations: We have exceeded expectations for the brand. We are at about 80,000 subscribers now, so we’re ahead of projection. The price as you mentioned may be considered high for a magazine, but we believe that we have quality content and command that kind of price. So far parents are willing and eager to pay for it, the pay up rate and the renewal rate. They think that it is a significant benefit to their children and that it is a value.

On what she would hope to tell someone that the brand had accomplished one year from now: 2020 was our year to launch and establish the brand. We’re looking at 2021 as a year to grow and amplify the brand. With the vaccines happening now and more people getting vaccinated and children being able to return to school, their lives are going to change again. We hope that as we look toward the end of this year that things will be going somewhat back to normal for children, even if they’re not able to be vaccinated until early next year. Teachers are being vaccinated and schools will hopefully return to something closer to what they were.

On some people wondering how a children’s magazine can make sense of the world when many adult magazines fail to do so: We actually hear from many parents. In our reader survey we found that 67 percent of parents are reading The Week Junior along with their children. They send us letters about how much they love the magazine. The Week Junior is unbiased, that’s one of our core values and pillars. We don’t take sides. We report the news, but we don’t take sides. And a lot of parents appreciate that because it’s difficult. Many other media outlets are perceived as having some kind of bias and so parents really enjoy reading The Week Junior and having their children read it for this reason.

On anything she’d like to add: I would just like to say thank you for your interest in our brand. And thank you to every child, parent and teacher in the United States who has told us how much they love this magazine. We’re very excited about what the future holds and looking forward to continuing to be the experts on this incredible generation of children.

On what makes her tick and click: I would say my passion for this brand and my responsibility to my team and to Dennis Publishing and everyone who has supported us so incredibly during the first year. And our readers. The children and their parents who make this job so rewarding. I love hearing from them. I love reading what they love about the magazine. There could be no better motivation than knowing that you’re making a difference in the life of a child.

On how she unwinds in the evenings: I love to cook a great meal while listening to music and sipping a glass of wine. I’ve also found that during the pandemic when in-person contact has been so limited, conversations have become incredibly meaningful. So a chat with my son or a friend makes my night. And now that the days are getting longer I’m looking forward to getting outside for a walk or a bike ride in the evenings too.

On what keeps her up at night: Thoughts about what more I could bring to assure that kids feel informed and appreciated and empowered. And that this magazine is something special for them during a difficult time in their lives and in history. We’ve played an important role in children’s lives. We launched at the precise moment that their lives changed.

CLICK HERE for the complete and lightly edited Mr. Magazine™ interview with Andrea Barbalich, editor in chief, The Week Junior US.