Exhibit: 50 Years of Mother Jones

In 2026 the San Francisco investigative journalism magazine Mother Jones celebrates 50 years of publication. In the Main Library Periodicals Reading Room, view iconic photographs both recent and historical from the magazine's pages and engage with a curated selection of issues from the past five decades.

Since its founding in 1976, Mother Jones has operated on the premise that investigative reporting can expose injustice, build empathy needed for reform and bring accountability.

The magazine’s photography has served as an uncompromising mirror to the world, visual storytelling that evolved from the black-and-white traditions of humanist documentary into an expansive, multiplatform chronicle of our time.

In this exhibit, we see a small fraction of the arresting photography, magazine covers, and stories that have graced Mother Jones over that 50-year journey. They capture some of the people and issues that riveted the country during that time, and highlight the investigations and artwork that influenced the nation’s politics and culture.

By exploring Mother Jones’ evolution through the years, one will notice how it has deftly moved from being a bi-monthly print magazine into a 7-day-a-week news outlet serving millions of audience members across online, radio, video, newsletters and podcasts.

To learn more, you can read recent issues of Mother Jones available in the SFPL collections (including the current issue on display in the Main Library Periodical Reading Room) or visit the Mother Jones Website. 

Event

Panel: Mother Jones—50 Years of Fearless Journalism, Thursday, November 12

Bibliography

Case One

1. Ch-en, Li-li. “Peking! Peking! A Memoir.” Mother Jones, Feb/Mar 1976, pages 50-60. Read online.
2. Brown, Rid. “The Monkeys Who Kill Their Young.” Mother Jones, Jan. 1977, pages 32-39. Read online.
3. Gallagher, Nora. “Fever All Through the Night: Is Disease Shaping a New Sexual Ethic?” Mother Jones, Nov. 1982, pages 36-43. Read online. 
4. Fraser, Laura. “Nasty Girls.” Mother Jones, Jan. 1990, pages 32-35; 48-50. Read online.
5. Yeoman, Barry. “Hispanic Diaspora.” Mother Jones, Jul/Aug 2000, pages 34-41. Read online. 

Case Two

1. Follman, Mark; Lurie, Julia; & Lee, Jaeah. “What Does Gun Violence Really Cost?” Mother Jones, May/Jun 2015, pages 18-39; 62. Read online.
2. Bauer, Shane. “My Prison Experiment.” Mother Jones, Jul/Aug 2016, pages 18-63. Read online.
3. Liss-Schultz, Nina. “Plan C.” Mother Jones, Sep/Oct 2019, pages 20-23. Read online. 
4. Berman, Ari. “Facing Down Jim Crow. Again.” Mother Jones, Jul/Aug 2021, pages 34-41; 63. Read online. 
5. Murphy, Tim. “How Superyachts Explain the World.” Mother Jones, Jan/Feb 2024, pages 16-20. Read online.
6. Friedman, Dan and Moore, Amanda. “Trump’s War on History.” Mother Jones, Mar/Apr 2026, pages 10-17. Read online.